Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-22
Sears Reveals
Substitutes for
Priority Items
Many New Products
Superior in Quality.
Manager Here States

A brief glimpse into our mode of
hswartirne living was revealed today
by j. F. Moore, group manager of
|. Sears, Roebuck & Co., Detroit.
Providing a preview OF the
shape of things TO come" Moore
described some of the changes
which have been made in the mer-
chandise TO be worn or used by
the people OF this country for the
next few years.
The extensive research and de-
velopment program has resulted
In hats made OF milk and fur felt.
|, paint brushes of hog bristles and
horsehair instead of 100-per cent
hog bristle; part rayon and part
wool rugs; glass paint jars to re-
I place tin containers; and Victory"
bicycles using only 81 pounds of
steel instead of the AZ pounds
y formerly used in the conventional
model.
At the present time, said Moore,
Sears is working on an ice box
which is so designed that IL can
be Immediately converted into an
electric refrigerator when. after
the war, freezing units become
u available. Using only 20 pounds OF
steel, the box is made of wood and
masonite and is finished in gleam-
ing white enamel.
SEARS OWN PROGRAM
The company. through its own
development program, has found
satisfactory alternates for copper,
aluminium. brass, zinc, steel. wool,
crude rubber, cork and other ma
ferials Of which there Is a critical
vshortage. The merchandise in
which these alternates have been
used ranges from mems and
women's wearing apparel to house.
hold gadgets. refrigerators and
sporting goods.
Sears development OF suitable
alternatives has replaced and made
available TO war production more
than 5000. 900 pounds of aluminium
or the equivalent of 493 heavy
bombers or 1929 fighting planes;
1s,o76. 900 pounds of copper; 30
1S2. 900 pounds of zinc and 464, 900
pounds OF nickel as well as thou
sands of pounds of rubber, wool
and other materials needed in the
production Of armament, Sears
manager said
zone Of the interesting facts
uncovered by the search for al
ternate materials was that In
many instances there had been
no real reason for using the
original MATERIAL stated Mr..
Moore.
The Sears manager explained
that some months prior TO the gov
ernment's recent restriction on
sales OF plumbing and heating
equipment. Sears had already vol
unfairly limited its sale of these
stems. as we'll as mechanics tools
and electrical supplies to individ-
uals and manufacturers who were
engaged in defense work.
CAsEIN IN HATS
Shortages OF certain materials
in the manufacture of mems and
women's clothing has neceSsitated
the development of alternates.
Mems hats soon will be made of IS
per cent fur felt and IS per cent
casein fiber. product derived by
the laboratory from SKINNED milk
When mixed in this proportion
Aonly an expert can differentiate
between the all fur felt and the
combination Of fur felt and casein
fiber hat.
Women's and misses dresses
will be made of mixtures of wool
and rayon fiber fabrics; mems
suits will be made from the same
mixture. In all instances labels
will carefully describe the
amounts of each so that customers
will know exactly what is being
purchased
Rubber raincoats formerly made
from crude rubber will use re-
claimed rubber in their manufac-
ture. No appreciable difference
can be noted in the texture of the
fabric. Women's raincoats and
shower curtains. both formerly
made of japanese silk with an oil
coating, are now manufactured of
domestic rayon with a waterproof
protective substance derived from
coal, lime and air applied by a new
process which thoroughly covers
every thread TO make the raincoat
or curtain waterproof and without
the stiffness and cracking of the
silk fabric coats.
The company has eliminated IS
per cent of its normal yearly re-
quirements OF brass through the
use of alternate materials in
plumbing and heating equipment.
In addition TO the information
regarding the conservation of crit
ical materials, Moore asserted
that Sears has further co-operated
with the country's war effort by a
simplification program, begun sew
eral years ago, which was accel-
Grated as defense and later. war
priorities. began to be established.
This program resulted in re-
duction in the number of stock
units from $4,000 items in the
1941 fall and winter catalog to
= $1,000 items in the current book,