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We do not use mercerized yarns. Our cotton filling yarns are imported from England for the reason that the English yarns are more evenly spun than our domestic yarns, but as the imported yarns rose so very high in price, and have been almost unobtainable lately at any price, the hat trade has had to be satisfied with us domestic manufac turers using the domestic article. We can procure in this market a fairly good domestic yarn in counts from 20/2 to 36/2, but for the finer numbers we prefer the English yarn. In the manufacture of our goods we need a long-staple cotton so that the yarn runs nice and smooth so the goods will not show any unevenness in the twist and be as free as possible from lumps. (Hatband Weaver No. 4.)

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Cotton yarns imported for use in the ribbon industry are for weaving mixed-silk ribbons on the ribbon loom. These looms weave a large number of ribbons simultaneously by the use of small shuttles positively controlled by rack and pinion. In most instances the warp is of silk or of spun silk and the filling of cotton.

So far as ascertainable from available invoices the import of ribbon yarns of cotton amounted to 42,868 pounds in 1914 and to 47,497 pounds in 1918. Of the 1914 imports, 34,322 pounds were invoiced from Manchester and 7,419 pounds from Nottingham, whereas of the 1918 imports, 25,243 pounds originated at Stockport and 21,720 pounds at Manchester.

In 1914 the main imports were 78/2 with 20,785 pounds, and 98/2 with 12,551 pounds, whereas in 1918 the main imports were 78/2 with 18,198 pounds, 58/2 with 16,231 pounds, and 120/2 with 10,021 pounds. No other count amounted to as much as 5,000 pounds.

Ribbon yarns imported are, as a rule, gray combed Egyptian gassed. They are mule-spun and mainly of Egyptian cotton, though some of the lower counts are made of American cotton and some of the medium fine and fine counts are of sea-island cotton. Some of the

finer counts are Grant-reeled, but in general they come in ordinary cross-reeled skeins.

The manufacture of ribbons is one of the most important branches of the American silk industry, being exceeded in value of output only by broad silks and possibly silk knit goods. A very large amount of the ribbons made in the silk mills is mixed-silk goods, and considerable amounts of cotton yarn are used in their manufacture. Domestic cotton yarns are generally used for this trade, less than 50,000 pounds. of a few special counts being imported. The varieties of ribbons made from imported yarns are grosgrain and varieties. The yarns are usually dyed after import and before weaving.

WOVEN LABELS.

Woven labels are made on the narrow-fabric looms that are usually known as ribbon looms. Such looms weave a large number of ribbons or tapes simultaneously, the small shuttles being positively controlled by means of rack and pinion. The labels are woven in lengths like ribbons and afterwards are cut apart for sewing on garments. In weaving, the lettering or design is obtained by the use of a Jacquard attachment.

The finer labels made in the United States are woven with imported yarns. The main reason for such import is that very fine yarns such as are used for groundwork, and fast Turkey-red yarns such as are used for lettering, have not been obtainable in this country.

The import of label yarns in 1914 amounted to 37,310 pounds, of which 18,322 pounds were from Nottingham; the remainder came from Manchester, Barmen, Coventry, and Crefeld. The 1918 import amounted to 58,609 pounds, of which Nottingham supplied 33,080, while 22,826 pounds were invoiced from Manchester and the remainder from Coventry.

In 1914 the main counts imported for label work were 140/2, with 11,014 pounds, and 60/2 with 8,019 pounds. In 1918 the main counts imported were 138/2 with 20,650 pounds, 66/1 with 12,340 pounds, 140/2 with 6,389 pounds, 70/1 with 6,153 pounds, and 98/2 with 5,505 pounds. No other count amounted to as much as 5,000 pounds. Fine label work must be smooth and clear-cut, so that most of the yarns imported for this work are gassed, mercerized, or prepared; practically all of the finer counts are gassed prepared, the same as lace yarns. The yarns for weaving the ground fabric are imported in the bleached state, while the yarns for weaving the lettering are dyed, mostly in Turkey-red. With few exceptions these yarns are combed mule-spun; the finest counts are made of sea-island cotton, but the great bulk is of Egyptian cotton.

One of the largest, if not the largest, user of imported label yarns reports as follows:

The yarns used by our company in the manufacture of shirt labels are all bleached and prepared and of the following sizes:

Warp...
Edges.

Ground filling..

Fast-color lettering.

120/2, 140/2, 150/2, and 200/2. .78/2 and 140/2.

.70/1, 120/2, 140/2, and 200/2. .50/2, 60/2, and 80/2.

With the exception of 78/2, all these numbers are imported from England. Numerous attempts have been made by American spinners to spin the finer sizes, but up to the present date, 78/2 is the finest number we are able to obtain in domestic spun yarns.

The sizes used for lettering in fast-dye red and black are also imported from England, owing to the inability of American dyers to produce an absolute fast dye which will stand the general laundry abuse. One American dyeing company has been quite successful in fast dyeing, but as the facilities of this concern are rather limited, they are unable to dye for the label trade. Prior to the war, we imported our Turkey-red and black yarns from Barmen, Germany, and found them better than what we import now from England.

Following we give you a comparison of prices for imported yarns paid three years ago and now (August, 1918):

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It may interest you to know that the finer numbers from 100s. up are exclusively spun in England. The writer was for years interested in the largest German woven label concern, and knows that not a pound of the finer numbers was spun in Germany or any other continental country. Lack of skilled help and specific water conditions for bleaching appear to be the main reasons why American spinners so far have not been successful in their many attempts to spin fine numbers.

An importer familiar with the label trade reports as follows:

The manufacture of woven labels was originally a German industry, and competition on labels has been almost entirely from Germany. Germany, however, does not spin much of its fine yarns; in fact, it does not spin yarns in bulk above 40s., and it obtained its fine label yarns from England. German firms making labels obtained a rebate on imported yarns used when they exported the labels.

If an advance in duty on fine yarns is made similar additional protection should be given on finished articles such as woven labels. This country spins only a small portion of the yarns needed above 100s., and fine yarns will continue to be imported. None of the fine label yarns can be obtained here, as they are mostly 140/2 and 150/2, similar in type and quality to lace yarns, and bleached before delivery. In addition to the fine ground yarns, there are also imported colored yarns for lettering.

TYPEWRITER-RIBBON YARNS.

Typewriter ribbons are of two general classes: First, cut-edge ribbons, and, second, woven-edge ribbons.

Typewriter ribbons are mainly of the cut-edge type, and are made by splitting cambric cloth into strips the edges of which are then gummed to prevent fraying. The typewriter cambric is usually 37 to 41 inches in width, and is woven of single yarns ranging between 60s and 110s. Some typewriter cambric is imported and subsequently split, but most of it is now woven in this country of domestic yarns.

One American typewriter company uses the woven-edge ribbon, manufacturing a portion in a weaving mill it owns in this country, and importing the remainder. Before the war it imported about 60 per cent of its woven tapes from one firm in Germany. It reports that since imports from Germany were stopped it has not been able to obtain any woven-edge ribbon material from England, or from any foreign country, and has been obliged to substitute cut-edge ribbons to fill requirements in excess of the woven-edge made by its American mill.

Woven-edge ribbons are made on ribbon looms which weave a number of the tapes simultaneously, and they are more costly to manufacture than machine-cut ribbons. To obtain a strong resilient tape that will withstand the wear caused by the blows of the typewriter keys and yet hold ink well, it is necessary that the fabric. be made of the best long-stapled cotton, combed or super carded and mule-spun with a comparatively soft twist. Typewriter ribbon is a high-class fabric, and requires high-class yarns. The yarns used on the ribbon loom in making the woven-edge ribbon are imported, and the typewriter company states that it has not been able to obtain yarns of the required count and quality here.

Typewriter-ribbon yarns are imported from Manchester and Nottingham. So far as shown on available invoices, imports amounted to 2,716 pounds of 130/2 and 4,206 pounds of 78/1 in 1914, and to 6,641 pounds of 130/2 and 4,952 pounds of 78/1 in 1918. The 130/2 warp yarns were normally gray combed sea-island, gassed on tubes, though in 1918 the British embargo on sea island caused the substitution of Egyptian, and, owing probably to the high level of prices, some were supercarded instead of combed. The 78/1 filling yarns were gray combed Egyptian reverse-twist warp cops on through tubes.

The woven-edge ribbons made by the typewriter firm mentioned are apparently made with 79 ends of 130/2 warp, in a width of approximately half an inch and with about 116 picks of 78/1 to the inch.

The typewriter firm reports:

We do not know of any other concern who is manufacturing woven-edge ribbons, suitable for typewriter use. We have heard of several who have attempted to do so, but we understand that it was mostly in the nature of an experiment and has been discontinued.

POLISHED COTTON YARN.

Large amounts of cotton sewing thread are polished in finishing, and there is also a large demand for polished cotton yarn for use in making shoe laces, hat braids, "luster" linings, and upholstery fabrics.

The polished yarns consumed in the United States are mainly of domestic manufacture. The quantity required is not ascertainable, but that it is large is evident from the fact that one firm alone reported in 1918 that its glazing plants were turning out about 45,000 pounds per week. Imports of polished yarns for the fiscal year 1914 amounted to 205,094 pounds and for the fiscal year 1918 to only 32,340 pounds. Imports are due to the fact that there is a certain demand for wiry high-polished yarns of a character different from those made in the United States; these yarns are finished by a different process and one that involves too high a labor cost to be profitably used in this country. Imports are polished in the skein and are almost entirely single yarns, whereas domestic yarns are polished in the thread and are rarely obtainable except in doubled yarns.

In general, yarns for polishing are first run through a special size mixture and the coated yarn then subjected to the action of polishing brushes. The size mixture is generally made with varying proportions of starch, dextrine, and paraffin. Upon the composition of the size mixture and the extent of the brushing operation largely depend the nature and degree of luster obtained.

In the foreign system the yarn is steeped for 12 hours in a special preparation and is hung, in the skein, on rollers in front of a large circular brush. The skeins are revolved around the rollers and brushed until perfectly dry; the polish thus acquired is very lasting. In many plants the operator rubs a piece of paraffin continually on the skeins as they are being polished by the brushes. Polishing in this way tends to cause the skeins to tangle and makes them very hard to wind; this fact, together with the slowness of the polishing process, makes the production of such highly polished yarns very expensive. More than one domestic firm has tried this style of polishing only to abandon it.

Imported polished yarn is wound tightly on spools. Spools from England are of wood, and those from Germany were of papier-mâché to save freight. When the yarn is received at the American factory it is wound off on to smaller braider bobbins or spools, with one, two,

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