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Abstract
Excerpts from the report: Consumption of cotton has declined in relation to that of other fibers in recent years but it still accounts for 65 to 70 percent of the total pounds of fibers consumed in textile mills. While in many instances the price of cotton is a small part of the total cost of cotton products, nevertheless the manufacturer must consider prices and qualities of the raw material in relation to those of alternative fibers, especially synthetics. Per capita consumption of cotton fluctuates from year to year, but in the last 5 years it has averaged about the same as in the 1920's. The higher consumption levels of the 1940 's are explained by production of cloth for the armed services. This report deals chiefly with the trend in spreads between the average composite retail cost to consumers of a group of cotton products and the return to farmers for the lint cotton from which the products were fabricated. For convenience the composite prices and spreads were computed in terms of 1 pound of cotton. Spreads are also shown for individual products for 1 year and for 3 typical products for a period of years.