Evening star., 1942-01-01
Textile Mills Set
Record for Third
Straight Year
Production to Remain
At High Levels to
Fill War Orders
BY DOUGLAS G. WOOLF,
Editor, Textile World.

6QltOI, 4eAtlo ~oAiu.
Textile activity In 1941 shattered
all past records to bits and set a
new annual high for the third sue
cessive time-a procedure hitherto
unknown in an industry which had
presumably been doomed to two
year cycle; a pattern OF one good
year followed by one of year. AS
for 1912, the formal entry Of this
country into the war promises a
continued high production rate to
meet sharply increased Government
purchases of textiles.
First, as to the performances:
Textile Worlds index of mill activity
for 1941 will approximate 1876, on
the basis of l923-25 as 100. This
will represent an increase OF one
third over the index Of 142 for 1910,
which in turn was per cent over
1885 index of 1872, which again
in turn was % per cent over the
1898 index Of 1O3. Just by way OF
comparison with better-knoWn
year, the 1929 index was only ll5!
Cotton Consumption Jumps.
By individual branches OF the
industry, on the basis OF incomplete
statistical returns, cotton consump-
ton In 1941 exceeded that OF l94O
by about one-third; wool consump-
ton increased by at least one-halt;
silk. on the way out, dropped more
than third; fllament rayon
made q gain Of about one-sixth.
and rayon staple use increased
about one third.
Now, as to the future: The IN
eyitable result of our formal entry
into the war will be to increase
Government purchases OF textiles
by almost any imaginable factor.
The fanciful stories, heard hereto
fore. of an army up to 5000 900. or
even more, may become fact. This
will place a very serious burden
upon production facilities. already
working at capacity. 1t will divert,
for the time being at least, the
threat of a market break, due to
inventory accumulations in dis
tributors' hands, which was becom-
ing dirnly apparent on the textile
horizon before war broke out.
On the other hand, this increase
IN Government purchasing will still
further reduce the production OF
goods for civilian use.- because OF
shortage of both material and labor.
Consumers appetites will be whetted
by the resulting shortages, but their
ability to buy will be gradually
reduced by higher taxes.
Longer Hours Urged.
The net effect Of these and many
other impulses upon the textile in
dustry will be the continuation-for
the immediate future. at least-of
record-breaking production-with,
1t is to be hoped. the also imme-
diate discard of the 40-hour work
week limitation plus undoubtedly q
continually decreasing profit mar
gin, due to increased taxes and
Increased Government control.
Beyond that short-term view
there looms the long-term posi-
bility of the gradual elimination
of marginal plants as ALLEGATION OF
materials and of labor becomes more
and more a reality. That has hap
pened in England and 1t can easily
happen here.
Among the less comic. but GER
tainly more personal, textile trends,
is the elimination of silk hosiery
as a national institution. Nylon-
or what the Government doesn't
use of it-rsyon and cotton are the
obvious substitutes. Bare legs. en-
bellished by synthetic tan, or
even by a painted seam, are also
possibilities. Silk lingerie may be-
come museum pieces.
Fortunately, no price-not ever
bare legs-is too high to pay for
doing the Job this country has been
forced to take on, and doing 1t
quickly and well.