Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-31
TEXTILE BUSINESS
! SOMEWHAT SPOTTY
0verturn of $500, 600, 900
Worth of Cloth This Year Is
Expected by Industry.
BY j. c. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

special Dfspatch 10 Inc star.
NEW YORK. March 31.-The sec
ond quarter of the year will start with
untitled orders at the cotton mills OF
the Nation totaling approximately
$50 200, 900 yards of cloth. That is re-
karded as a conservative estimate by
textile statisticians, and serves to IN
dictate the Improvement which mas
taken place in the industry compared
With q year ago.
Sales for the first three months OF
this year will be 10 per cent larger
than those for the three months or
has. Since the beginning OF the cot
ton year last July the mills reporting
to the Association of Cotton Textile
Merchants of New York have sold
about 2,400, 900, 900 yards. Prof1t
margins have not been large, but
many of the mills, especially those IN
the South. have made more than they
did a year ago. The total value OF
mill products at the mill in 1927 is eX-
pected to exceed $4,000, 100000.
On Full Schedules.
In the South, reports from mill cen
tens say many of the important plants
an running on full day schedules ana
lsome are working nights. This Is
also true of some factories in New
England, although the Improvement
there is not so marked. New England
textile men blame this in part on
antiquated equipment. They say re-
cent sales in both sections have shown
q valuation as high as SIS a spindle
in the South, as compared with bids
as low as 81 to 81 a spindle in New
England.
In some cases the New England
mill stocks in the open market are
selling on a basis less than the net
quick assets q share, indicating that
investors in some cases are placing
no value whatever on some plants and
machinery. In addition the New Eng
land textile men claim figures of the
National Association of Cotton Manu-.
facturers show average wages in New
England are AS cents an hour, as
compared with less than 30 cents in
the South. However, a large number
of New England mill companies also
have plants in the South.
The situation as to wooden cloths
Is not so bright, but even though
some of the American Wooden Co.
mills have been closed it has been
shown that others are operating at
O profit. Buying in the Fall lines
Is still somewhat slow, but 1t has
improved and seems likely to con-
tinue to do so.
Some manufacturers are likely to
better the unsatisfactory profit re-
turn of 1926 for the first quarter.
o. NJ. stafford of the Cleveland
Worsted Co. says he hopes the severe
losses suffered by many manufactur-
ers win result in an association of
manufacturers under existing laws
. which will enable the companies to
earn money.
Wool Gains Slight.
Raw wool prices have failed to
register any substantial gains de-
spite the improved situation in for
eign markets. A committee of the
New York Cotton Exchange Is now
attempting to work out a plan by
which wool futures can be dealt in
here.
Business in the broad silk industry.
on the other hand, has registered
steady gains. Prices are. not high,
of most manufacturers will show
decided improvement over those of
the first quarter of 1926. Sales of
ribbons. aided by a fashion trend,
have reached heavy proportions.
The rayon business of the Amer
lean manufacturers in the last three
months has broken all previous rec
brds and the recent price advances
would seem to show that the market
Is pretty well cleaned up in spite
of this. On the basis of orders
already placed, second quarter pro-
duction also will establish a new
peak. Manufacturers are watching
closely the progress of manufacture
of rayon under the Dorner process
from corn -stalk pulp.