Evening star., 1932-08-28
STYLES BIG HELP
TO OCOTTON TRADE
Hot-Weather Vogues Spur
Demand and Cut Into
Surplus.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. America are doing
their bit this Summer to promote the
cotton textile business-an industry re-
Gently reported as showing some def
mite signs of revival.
The vogue for mems cotton suits and
sport trousers as hotweather apparel
has reached surprisingly large proper
tions, say reports received from the gar
ment trade by the textiles division OF
the Department of Commerce. The
proprietor of one small haberdashery
in washington said that early in
August he had sold more than 500 pairs
of trousers of the new type OF imitation
flannel
While cotton clothing for men, such
as SeerSucker suits, has been favored IN
Southern cities for Summer wear Tor
some time, it is only within the last
wear or two that it has attained mucn
popularity in the North. This year S
sales of cotton garments for men are
said to be far in excess Of those OF
last year.
Evidence Collected.
Evidence of the increasing consump-
tiCn of American cotton in the form OF
clothing and new industrial fabrics is
being collected by the New Uses for
Cotton Committee, composed OF mem
bers of the Department of Agriculture,
the Department of Commerce and the
Cotton Textile Institute, Inc. Cotton
has played a prominent role in Spring
and Summer styles for women also
New textiles and weaves Of the f1eecy
fiber were featured in sports-wear, tai
lored dresses, formal afternoon and
evening gowns, and women's costume
accessories, including millinery, shoes,
gloves, hosiery, bags and scarts.
The Bureau of Agricultural Eco
nomics reported the development OF
suitable cotton fabric for curing con-
crete. said to have been tested in road
construction and found fully satistac-
tory.
Increased use of consumer cotton
bags in the retail packaging of po-
tatoes. nuts, citrus fruits, onions and
apples is cited. Approximately five
times as many consumer cotton bags
for potatoes were used in 1881 as In
1880.
Progress in the development Of cot
ton garments for children and in en-
couraging the use of cotton foundation
material in the home manufacture OF
hooked rugs is reported by the Bureau
of Home Economics. A new Ameri-
can cotton fabric suited to children'S
outdoor Winter play suits has been dis
covered, and a market opened for this
material.
146,000 Bales Used.
Approximately 146000 bales Of cot
ton in the form of new cotton bags
were used by flour mills last year. The
Bureau of Chemistry and Soils is en-
deavoring to develop a process which
would render cotton fabrics for outdoor
use resistant to fire, mildew and wealth
ering.
While the quest for new outlets for
cotton products goes forward, basic con-
ditionS in the cotton textile industry
continue to improve, says E. T. Pickard,
chief of the textiles division Of the
Department of Commerce.
In more than 300 classifications of
fabrics. covering the major portion OF
production in these lines, sales during
July were 157 per cent of production" !"
he said. Reduction of stocks con-
tinues, having declined nearly per
cent, while untitled orders increased
during July by more than one-third."
Another favorable development listed
by Pickard is the tendency of cotton
manufacturers to put their business on
better footing preparatory to getting
the most out of a substantial upswing
in the textile trade