MARKETING 
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textile fibers. Since the war the industry has progressed by leaps 
and bounds until the total world output now exceeds that of the 
natural fiber. During the ten-year period beginning with 1913 
artificial silk production in the United States increased from about 
1,500,000 to over 24,000,000 pounds. The annual supply is fast 
approaching the total imports of natural silk (in all its forms). 
Not only has artificial silk invaded the hosiery mills, but it has made 
notable strides in the underwear and outerwear markets, its rise being 
largely coincident with the increase in production of silk underwear, 
sweaters, and other knit goods which attained remarkable popularity 
during the war. Even in the weaving mills the use of the new textile 
has expanded, experimentation leading to discovery of many new uses. 
But even with the amazing increase in production the supply has not 
kept pace with the demand, which has steadily increased and broadened. 
While, the production of real silk responds only tardily to demand, the 
circumstances of artificial silk production allow for elastic regulation of 
supply to demand. However, the large initial capital costs, the necessity 
for quantity output to make production profitable, the relatively low 
profits per pound and the great mechanical and technical difficulties 
inherent in the industry, have kept the units relatively large. Here and 
abroad the textile men have fostered the industry, realizing its 
potentialities in protecting them from centralized control of raw silk. 
They realize that artificial silk is a distinct addition to the textile world, 
a fiber which they may profitably employ in their products with other 
fibers, whether they are woolen, cotton, or silk manufacturers. 1 
Adulteration and misbranding are the vicious offspring of 
substitution. These practices are readily possible where standard 
terms are not well established. Campaigns to improve the ethics 
of textile merchandising during the past few years have disclosed, 
in addition to many instances of clear misrepresentation, many 
terms which had not deceived manufacturers or dealers because 
of their customary use, but which were misleading to the unskilled 
consumer. Merino was long used as a trade name for a yarn of 
wool mixed with cotton, 2 whereas to certain people it signified a 
fine grade of sheep. Natural wool was a knitter’s term for a gray 
mixture and was often applied to cloth made entirely of cotton. 
1 Commerce Monthly, National Bank of Commerce, June, 1923. 
“See Winsted Hosiery Co. v. Federal Trade Commission, 272 Fed. 957 (1921).