Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Textiles An Indus! The textile industry throughout the world is a giant. In the United States alone, the production of textiles and apparel accounts for one manufacturing job in every eight. No other industry makes such a massive contact with the people. Millions of jobs, billions of items. And yet most people go along daily, not reali7inp hnw thpir \A/hnlo i?/oc HononH 0 - ~ ....w.w .? ? w J Vit pt I 1VJ VJI I U !C production of fabric. Get up in the morning and perhaps the first thing you do is brush your teeth. Chances are that the bristles in that brush are made of synthetics produced by the textile fiber industry. Even the newspaper you read could never have been produced without textile conveyor belts and meshes. That shirt or blouse you put on is the accumulation of the talents of thousands of years of spinning, weaving, knitting, printing or dyeing. When you take your car out onto the street, you feel secure knowing that itstiresare held together by textile fibers. When the astronauts went to the moon, their voyage was made possible by a textilecased nose cone that withstood the heat of re-entry and allowed them to return alive. Manv DeoDle are todav walkino thp ctrpptc thanks to artificial heart vessels developed through textile science. It is an industry that holds the world and society together. Textiles are a necessity, a luxury, a means of living, a way of life, an art and a science. This is their story. To understand where we are today, it's good to know where we have been. And this is true in the production of textiles as much as in anything else. When you try on a handsome, double-knit suit or a pretty, print dress, look at it as the newest advance in an old art. Because to our knowledge today, the Egyptians were mak ing fine cloth at least 4.000 years ago. cotton spun by hand as fine as the best made by modern machinery. Undoubtedly the <;kill nf wai/mo ctartori long before that. We don't know when man first learned to weave. Even in the Stone Age, the prehistoric Lake Dwellers of Europe wore woolen clothing. Man's first attempt at weaving could have been in the crafting of baskets or fishing nets. Perhaps he interlaced limbs to form a shelter. Man progressed at an early age to production of a crude cloth that was in some respects similar to what you see today. Always, though, this was a product of mm y|l m Kathy Sigman Kathy Sigman, a Clinton High School junior, has been named a delegate to attend Palmetto Girl's State which will be held in Columbia June 7-13. She is the daughter of Clinton Mills Controller and Mrs. Walter A. Sigman. ry With A Tradition hand work, done at the cost of much labor and for an isolated, limited purpose. Cloth was then a prized possession and in great demand. Where there has been demand, man has always found methods of increasing production. Individual weaving continued past the times of Greece and Rome until shortly after the birth of modern England, when the Lancashire area of that country became the center of the great handicraft textile industry. Fabrics were produced there by hand for many generations, up to the beginning of the industrial revolution 200 years ago. Linen was spun from flax; native sheep provided wool. Cotton had been introduced from India, and silk was imnnrtpH fmm ph. na and grown for production in Europe. And then new methods of increasing production and cutting down on man-hours began to appear on the scene. A fly shuttle to eliminate the need for a weaver's helper and quicken the pace of hand weaving. A "spinning |enny" and then a spinning frame to spin many ends of yarn at the same time. Ultimately a power loom to speed up the process of weaving. Finally all of these processes were combined into one "mill" that would begin with raw materials and end with cloth. The names of men like Arkwright, Cartwright. Jacquard and Whitney still live today in many modern processes. Processes that took hundreds of years to develop so that today's goods?for example, a man's shirt? make what was once a great luxury into a modern bargain. That shirt or blouse you wear today is finer than those fit for a king only 100 years ago. And neither costs a king's ransom. &W93U8W - ; .&iw*imor-r, ,. Bailey Foundation Contributes To Chapman Park This plaque has been erected at the C D. Chapman Memorial Park in Geneva. Alaba 11id ici-ugiiiiiMg 11 ic generous support ot Clinton Mills of Geneva, Inc. (through the Bailey Foundation). The plaque, which reads "Clinton Mills of Geneva. Inc.. Geneva. Alabama, contributed to the development of C D. Chapman Memorial Park on behalf of its employees and their families (1981)." Chapman Park was officially dedicated April 18. It was rebuilt and will be used in memory of the lateC D. Chapman, a church. civic, business and political leader in Geneva from 1898 until his death in 1965. L. 0 Bobby S Bobby Smith Br McCarthy To Lg Charlie McCarthy is a close friend of Bobby Smith, nine-year-old son of Iris and Carroll Smith, both Bailey Plant employees. In fact, Charlie and Bobby are more than just friends. Charlie is a "dummy" and Bobby is an amateur ventriloquist. He's the actual voice behind Charlie. Charlie McCarthy gained worldwide fame as the traveling companion of vaudeville, radio and television comedian Edgar Bergen during the 1920s. When Bobby's aunt and uncle, Joan and Harold Smith, saw a reproduction of Bergen's famous Charlie McCarthy, they purchased it for him. "It was an instant success." says Bobby's mother, Iris. "He had never shown any signs before of being able to 'throw his voice,' but as soon as he got his hands on Charlie, they made a hit witn each other." Textile Trade Deficit Reached The textile apparel trade deficit recorded its highest level ever in 1981 reaching $5.7 billion according to figures released recently by the American Textile Manufacturers In suiute. The deficit climbed 40 percent over 1980 with imports increasing 19 percent to $ 10.6 billion and exports remaining nearly stag nant, mcreasingO.3 percent to $4.9 billion. The overall growth in textile and apparel imports has resulted in the largest trade de f icit in history and is alarming particularly at a time when the domestic market is flat. The current unemployment level in the textile industry is 13.9 percent with another 8 5 percent of workers on less than 35 hours Page 9 imith ings Charlie mrens county The young Smith practices almost daily with Charlie, developing an entertaining dialogue between himself and Charlie. His father and mother assist him by asking questions for the pair to answer. Bobby, a third grade student at Laurens Grammar School, recently participated in his school's talent show. He's also entertained numerous small groups at home. In addition to dialogue. "Charlie" has a regular routine of singing "Jesus Loves Me" and "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain." Charlie's quick wit adds humor to his performance. When asked how he felt about his hidden talent. Bobby immediately quipped, "It makes me feel famous." And needless to say, some day he will be. Highest Level a week. The volume of textile and apparel imports I nr roacori 1 Q nnrronf rwr\r v< vu^vu aw pwiwwm UVCI IIIC JJ1CVIUUS yc<3l to 5 8 billion square yard equivalents. Imports of textiles, alone, increased 31 percent over 1980. The U.S. government shouid correct the situation by negotiating textile apparel trade pacts in the coming year which will bring import growth from the major exporting countries in line with the current domestic market growth. The bilateral textile and apparel negotiations scheduled this year will correct what has become a monumental problem. All figures are based on U.S. Department of Commerce data made available to ATM I.