Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-06-30
HOLIDAYS PROMISE
LULL IN INDUSTRY
Retail Sales, However, Are
Expected to Be Heavy Dur
ing Present Week.
BY J. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to Tho Star.
NEW YORK. June 30.-Industrial
activities throughout the country are
expected to reach one of the low
points of the year this week. This is
not an alarming condition. since the
Independence day holiday will be re-
sponsible for much of the decline in
activity. Coming at it does on Fri
day. even the most active plants do
not expect full forces on Saturday,
and many plants will seize on the
holiday as an opportunity for even
more extensive layoffs.
Some plants will take midyear in
Nentories. Others will make the
check in production an opportunity
for overhauling and repairing ma
chinery and making plant alterations.
Stiil others, notably in the teNtile
division. will grant their employees
their vacations at this time.
Retail Boom Expected.
The first part of the week, however,
Is expected to be period of remark
able activity for retail clothing and
dry goods merchants and for dealers
in sporting goods and camping equip
ment. The spring has been SO back
ward that few city jewellers have
found it either necessary or advisable
far this year Many, however, will
seek the resorts in various sections
FOR the coming week end and are
counted on to outfit themselves ex-
tensively for their trips as well as
for the remainder Of the warm
| weather
While not affecting the manufac-
turers directly, this volume of buy
| ing can be counted on to stimulat e
wholesale trade in the near future,
he
day to be followed by a decided re-
| vival Of activity in the majority of
industries. This is especially true Of
the garment trades, where the OPEN
ing of the lines for fall is imminent. .
Higher Prices Resisted.
Retail dry goods merchants appar-
emily are looking toward decrea Sc d
than to increased prices. The buyer
resistance to higher prices still is
strongly in evidence and many well
| informed retailers believe costs will
be easier to overcome than this tend
| ency on the part of the public. Manu-
| facturers are taking somewhat the
same stand. This is apparent in the
| knitted goods factories, where new
and improved equipment is being
added. Some Of this new dyeing and
knitting machinery will be installed
| during the Fourth of July shutdown.
| The number of sales lost through
poor craftsmanship and Indifferent
| salespeople is worrying merchants
| more than they indicate in discus.
| sion with outsiders. Consequently
| they are anxiously investigating
| methods of training sales forces am
of retaining sales people whose sue
| cess in getting and holding custom
ers has been proved.
| Clothing Sales Holding Up.
In spite of continued talk of falling
| OF in clothing sales, figures compiled
| in some of the active centers of the
as many clothes are being bought BY
| men as in normally active periods
| These statistics show that the aver
age life of the ready-made and the
tailor suit is about IL years II
| each case, but while the owner o.
| the tailor made suit is likely to weal
| it that long, the wearer of the ready
| made garment is prone to discard i
| at the end of a year.
| The men who wear made to order
clothes, on the average, own 3.15 suit,
per man, While the patrons of tn,
| ready-made clothing establishment
| possess an average of 2.19 suits each
| AS to overcoats, over as per cent O
the span of life of the average coat il
81 years.
The possibility of an active fall ant
| winter season for clothing is placing
| an added Importance on the Iabo
here and in some other manufactur
ing centers, but there are Indication
that these shortly will be composed.