Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-06-14
Textile Mills in Bright New Era
But Still Object to Cotton's Price

South. Critics said 1t was the
lure Of cheap labor, others saw
q desire to be near the source
of raw material. John w. MUIR
ray of the American Textile
Manufacturers Institute said.
however, that there were sew
eral other factors.
One was the fact that the
New England mills were long
since outmoded. They we're all
of a pattern, several stories
high. Why, manufacturers
asked, should goods have to
be moved from one floor to
another2 So they built mod
ern, sprawling plants in the
South.
A certain amount of damp
air also is necessary in textile
manufacture. But why" Muir
ray said, should 1t be neces-
sary any longer to open win
dows to let the New England
fog roll in when controlled
humidity could be had by ma
chine?"
Markets Now Occupy Mills
The removal had q terrific
economic impact. Today many
New England mills are occupied
by supermarkets, discount
houses or electronics and other
industries. BY such diversifi-
cation many Of the cities have
come back.
Through the upheaval New
York remained the great
marketing center, its textile
houses crowded into grimy
quarters on Worth or Cherry
streets.
Now all have moved uptown
to new, skyscraper. homes. Can
non was the last, moving In
the last few months. Its old
site Is now a parking lot.
Burlington Industries, Inc.
the textile giant. has its mer.
ehandising headquarters a
1880 Broadway. With 125 plant'
in is states, 1t has annual sale
of $1.10 billion, compared Il
S585 million for J. P. Stevens
g. Co., its nearest competition.
Burlington's spokesman say
the biggest recent developments
have been in stretch fabrics.
They predict much wider use.
Stevens has its headquarters
at 1890 Broadway. Maker of
fabrics for space flights and
the recent Mount Everest expe-
dition, it still Is q liajor pro-
Queer Of towels and sheets. It
says that white sheets are be-
coming passe, with color COM
pletely taking over.
Springs Mills has new quar-
tiers at l04 West 40tA street.
completed last winter. BY its
direct dialing and teletype COM
munications system it says it
can handle orders in 80
minutes. far ahead Of its COM
petitors.
AS ian industry, textile mills
and apparel manufacturers had
ALAG, 800 employees In Noyem
Der. 1862, which was i2.6 per
cent Of the 1871 900 employed
in all manufacturing and the
largest single force. Annual pay
roll was S3.3 billion and, esti-
mated total sales, 14.4biInon.
Oppose TwO-Price System
Although better than one
third Of total yardage Is now
of man-made fibers. spokes-
men see wider use Of cotton
If it weren't for the two-price
system. How 1t works, the Tex
tile Institute says, is like this:
Recently, a cotton merchant
found buyers for two identical
bales, Both went TO mills, one
in the United States and the
other In a foreign country.
The American mill paid
Sl62.50 for its bale. rejecting
q government-supported price
OF 32.5 cents a pound. The
foreign mill paid $3.50. but the
seller got the same price as he
did for the bale sold to the
American company.
The difference. $3.50. was
paid by the United States as
a subsidy TO bridge the diff
ference between cotton prices
In the government supported
American market and the free
market in the rest Of the
world.
The textile industry calls
this unfair and inequitable."
II hopes for legislation 10 cor
rect the situation.