Evening star., 1946-03-09
Shirt and Dress
Prices 10 Go Up
10 70 15Cents
Industry Doubtful
Whether OPA Action
Will Increase Supply
BY the Associated Press

The Government acted to spur
production of shirts, shorts.
dresses and other scarce clothing
items today by authorizing high
er prices for cotton textiles.
OPA disclosed the new policy in
announcing more substantial price
levels than the cotton industry had
been> promised. These increases
VIII be reflected in higher retail
prices for the garments named and
Tor such other items as pajamas.
and work clothing.
New retail ceilings have not been
set yet, but OPA said it expects the
price OF shirts and house dresses.
for example, to. advance from 10
TO Is cents. Shorts may cost about
8 cents more.
Figure Above Estimate,
A few weeks ago, when OPA was
outlining the current program to
textile mill representatives, it fig
ured the increase for shirts would
be only S or cents.
The newly authorized retail price
hike will be from two or three
tunes that much mainly because
OPA has decided, it announced last
night, that higher prices for tex
tiles should be based on the in
creased market price of raw cotton.
OPA said the action had been ap-
proved by Sterilization Director
BoWles "as a means of encouraging
increased production in view of the
present critical shortage" of clothing
Industry Doubtful.
Initial reaction from industry
sources, however, left some doubt as
to the effectiveness of the move,
In Boston, Russell T. Fisher. pres
1dent OF the National Cotton Manu-
facturers' Association, said it ap-
peared that the increases given are
too small to accomplish their pur-
pose"
j. E. Odenheimer, president of the
Lane Cotton Mills, New Orleans. said
he thought increased production
would result if the ceiling were high
enough to enable mills to use three
shifts or operate overtime.
In Atlanta, j. j. Scott, president
Vi the Scottdale & Whittier Mills,
SAID the new textile prices would
help mills absorb the increased
prices of cotton and other manu-
featuring costs since the last CELL
ing prices were set"
Turn Looms to Needed Goods.
To make sure mills produce the
KIND OF cotton fabrics required for
clothing, the Civilian Production
Administration has ordered that
large number of looms be concen-
trated on such output.
The agency said thousands of
these fabric machines have been
turning out elaborate and less i'm
portant types of cloth, thus curtaiI-
ing production of essential gar
ments.
Under the OPA order, mills must
restore looms to garment fabrics if
they were used for such material
at any time during the last four
years.
s OPA said that despite the higher
prices authorized for cotton cloth
ing, the public may save money in
the long run. The agency rea-
soned this way:
AT present the supply of low and
medium priced garments is very
small. Most shirts available. for
example, sell at retail for So and up,
More and Cheaper Shirts.
OPA figures that if shirts now
priced at $2.10 but scarce and vir-
tually unobtainable can be put back
on the market in ample quantity
at about s2.25, the average family's
clothing bill will be trimmed.
The textile price increases ap-
proved by OPA range in most cases
from 5 to 10 per cent, plus another
5 per cent on certain kinds of fabrics
urgently needed for clothing. Part
of the general boost is being granted
to offset a wage boost in the in
dustry.
OPA said SPECTATORS in the cotton
market "are largely to blame" forf
driving up prices for raw cotton and
clothing. To curb this speculation,
cotton exchanges are being urged to
increase margin requirements for
trading in cotton futures.
If they don't do this voluntarily.
OPA said, "the Government may be
forced to impose" tighter margin
requirements