The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-16
RUG SHORTAGE
WILL CONTINUE
Labor, High Costs, Import
Restraint. Hold Produc-
tion Below Normal

CHICAGO, Feb. Is. llP-Home-
makers who had hoped for new
wool rugs right after the war have
thus far. received little comfort
from the industry.
Shortages of labor, high costs OF
materials, and import restraints
have combined to hold production
TO about 50 per cent of what II
WAS before the war, and there
seems but slight prospect OF I'M
movement for much Of this year.
During the war rug and carpet
largely came to a standstM both
in this country and in Great
Britain, the two largest manu-
featuring 'centers. Consequently,
there was no backlog OF carpet
wool built up to draw on when the
shooting ended, as there had been
in many other industries.
Intense demand for fresh
supplies shot prices far above what
they were before the war, forcing
many materials buyers to stay out
1t the market.
In the production equation r
carpet wool prices the world
auctions held in Liverpool, Eng
land: jute prices in India; cotton
warp costs in u southern states;
restraints Oh imports Of carpet
woods from India, and sharp
shortages. Of experienced textile
workers in the nations carpet
factories.
These were some Of the innu-
Snces pointed to by M.
4. Plummer, purchasing agent for
the Olson Rug Company, Chicago,
one of the nations major rug and
carpet manufacturers.
carpet woois ran about 81 cents
4 pound in 1885," Plummer said.
now they are up to 4S cents.
Cotton warp was-3a to 80 cents
4 pound before the war; today it
IL 80 cents. Jute yarn was II cents
q pound in preWar trade, but row
India is asking rs IL cents al
pound.
All these prices. + out of line.
Most of the industry's buyers at
the recent Liverpool wool auction
recognized values were set too
high and refused to buy. We think
il the buyers stay out of the mar
let 4 while longer those prices will
come down. The market might
even loosen up in 80 days. but you
can't tell. It may take much long
Or, than that, perhaps a year.
On top Of high materials prices
and consequent lack of supplies
yas the shortage of help, Plummer
said.
These shortages run all the way
from shearers up to the top loom
operators. It takes perhaps five
years experience for a person to
Get up to the best looms.
We look for a shakedown
throughout all industries this year,
however, and this will let us hire
" =, srkers. Many industries
are oversupplied with finished
- IT.. These must curtail
production, and as they lay off
workers other industries which
have had to start up fresh, such
AZ rugs and carpets, will have a
chance 10 catch up on their hir-
ing"
AL carpet wool is imported into
the United States largely from
India, Plummer said. U. S. domes-
tie wool is of too fine a quality for
mugs and goes into apparel exclu-
8vely.
Because there is no domestic
carpet wool production, its impor-
tation is considered complimentary
to the domestic wool industry and
il. therefore, free of import tar
it's. Prices, however, are as high
now for carpet woods as fine ap-
parel woods were before the war.
These have been swept upward
with the high price Of domestic
woods.
"BA SIS Chat is, six-month clips
at Buenos Alresl coming III from
Argentina cost. but 81 cents a
pound Or the actual secured
WOOL Plu1nmer said. but a %
cents a pound duty raises this to Sc
cents. Even so this price is vastly
lower than the homegrown woods
Which run to about 90 cents a
pound (also scoured) for a com
parable domestic wool, that from