Evening star., 1943-03-17
Wooden Bed Springs
Among A|ternates
In New Merchandise
Some Requirements
Will Excel Goods
Replaced by War
r. he Associated Press.


stitute for steel, gone for the dura-
ton
Very likely they won't squeak. anG
certainly they VIII spring. They are
made on the principles OF canti-
levers. rockers and interlocking
wooden leaves.
Hundreds of changes like these
are due in a few months in the goods
the public buys
Called Alternates.
These American war changes
promise to strike a typically Amer
lean note-to be something really
new in the economy of war. They
VIII not be ersatz-that is. merely
substitutes The trade already calls
them altern8teS and successors.
They Will be really new things.
hundreds Of which may be so good
that they Will stay on the market
after the war
This imminent change in con-
sUmers goods is described by Jules
Labarthe industrial fellow at the
Mellon Institute. He holds the
commodities standards fellowship
ftppti NEN " h3tA4 mann Dt pa u
mHnt Stores, Inc. Pittsburgh.
A good many Of this stores own
brands, possibly One-third. are al
ready gone The stores either can
not get them. OF not at the old price
or quality. In another six months
the stocks of these brands are likely
to be further reduced.
The present aim is to bring in re-
placements under new names. There
gre several reaSOns. Makers and dis
tributorS do not wish to run the
risk Of lowered quality in new and
untried substitutes. They cannot
afford to risk regulations built by
years Of service and advertising
For merchandising purposes the sub
stitutes will stand on their own
merits
Simmer Silhouettes.
In clothing, the public has had
little contact with the changed mer-
chandise. For women a new style
already has been created by the
abandonment of loose sleeves and
wide skirts. with substitution of the
Simmer silhouettes. Eager to key
their coats with these new slim
lines, fashion leaders seized on the
nenfolk'S chesterfield model, with
great savings in goods. Chesterfields
will be seen In all colors.
In clothing, simplification Of basic
design is the first step. The simpn-
f1cation means neither better nor
worse articles OF wear.
The next step Is likely to be
Standardization of the fabric. This
step can result in Improvements In
quality. The durability can be built
In with the changes. fast colors can
be specified, and better standards
can be set up.
Last December IS mems shirt tails
we're shortened inches. This change
has brought out another thing at
which the manufacturers and mer-
Chandisers are aiming, namely, the
need for more rigid testing OF inno-
vations in actual service. The lab
oratories can only approximate the
effects, good or bad. They cannot,
for example, foresee the wear OF the
knees Of clothing. Nor how fast
youngsters pants will wear out.
Fashion gowns and negliges are
not causing much worry. But max
ers are earnestly studying any sub
stitute goods that has to be used
or worn again and again. Failure
to give maximum service would hurt.
Another job now confronting the
laboratories is finding out what the
alternate goods are going to be like.
Al-wool summer wear will go out
The goods will be rayon and wool
blends and cotton and wool blends.
That brings up problems of press
Ing. wrinkle and bagging qualities
Also how cool will they be?
Change in Carpets.
Carpets and rug patterns have
been reduced by 80 per cent. Wool
and rayon mixtures are on the
market.
There is no kapok for furniture
upholstery filling. The trade has
done number of things. One is
kind the tourists admire festooning
trees in the Southern United States.
Another is long fiber cotton. A
third is 10000 acres OF mllkweed
grown ir Michigan last wear The
Government took all this milkweed
The Government also took over
hubblfl, the new filler made of cello
phane tubing which sWelled BY seV-
eral tiny air bubbles per inch.
BUobifl is an example Of the fate
Of MANY OF the alternates that are
really superior The Government
Is likely to reQuisition them for
0sr, ana IightfulIy 50 Later. how
ever, tEcr VIII be available 70 US all
In cooking utensils. enamel ar
tiCleS are down from 80 varieties 10
less than 20. The changes In cook
Ing ware brought 0nc of the Incl
dents which arc amusing o. tragic
depending on who suffers Il was
p0Ce- -5arN TO insist that handles
should ho strong enough not 10
bend mcor me weight Of water in
t." pot whom il was being carried.
Pren'icc-HalL Inc Of New York.
ir 2 special report Of its business
idcas service. publishes a list Of
200 successor articles These are
,teynatC5 which have made good
T. such an extent that they NAV
remain on the market after the war.