Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-03
TEXTILE DEMANDS
DECLARED BROADER
Retail Merchants Prepare to
Meet Increased Sales as
Convention Meets.
BY BRADLEY w. TRENT.
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 3.-Witi1 In.
creased activity noted in the cotton
goods markets, the textile world is In.
terested in the twentieth annual con.
vention of the National Retail Dry
Goods Association here. with delegates
from the 300 members stores In all
parts of the United States and Canada
in attendance.
The New York dry goods market
handed up the good news to the dele
gates that demand has broadened and
that sales for January exceeded produce
ton. warranting more activity in mills.
The textile trade. like industry in gen.
eral, found profits meager in the last
year-but it has proflted by the expert
ence and seeks in this convention to
exchange ideas on cutting production
and distribution costs. The keynote Of
the session Is TO be sounded by Dr. Paul
H. Nystrom of Columbia University in
an address. Build Sound Management
from 1880 Experience"
Problems Before Meeting.
The sessions include a meeting Of the
store managers division, the merchan-
disc managers division, the personnel
group, the traffic group and the Retail
Delivery Association. Technical discuss
sions will be offered at the various ses-
slons, all devoted to careful analysis
OF some management problem, with spe-
cial emphasis on the problem of the
independent retailer.
"A new fashion in fashion shows"
will be presented to the convention on
Friday. There will be display of mod
els indicating the important fashions
upon which retailers can base volume
business for Spring and Summer. Only
limited number of costumes will be
SHOWN, but each will be presented for a
specific purpose and the fashion points
will be explained in detail.
questions put to mill men and sell.
ing agents for the big dry goods houses
brought the information that stores
probably will offer Spring goods at the
lowest possible levels, though retailers
nave been somewhat slow in passing
on TO the consumer the reduction In
prices made by manufacturers and
jobbers.
Price Cuts.
It was pointed out that in the second
nalf OF 1880 many mills offered stand
ard merchandise at very low prices In
an effort to move stocks. At that time,
however, merchants we're not able to
follow the primary market immediately,
owing TO price uncertainty on numerous
cotton and knit goods lines and the
TACT that many stores were well stocked
when the reduced prices went into eff
rect. Merchants now are making prepa-
rations to reduce prices, as all the new
Spring lines, especially in the mems
clothing, knit goods and cotton goods
lines, are opening at decidedly lower
levels. Sharp reduction in heavyweight
underwear lines are expected to be made
Tuesday, when several of the leading
mills will name prices on 1891 goods.
Retailers agreed that the present
business depression has not caused as
much hardhip in the trade as was the
case in 1920-21, when the stores were
burdened with stocks which they had
to liquidate. Inventories have been
held down and the price drop has not
| been as drastic as it was 10 years ago.
(Copyright, 193I)