Straw Hats

The old legal adage de minimis non curat lex never fitted U. S. legal proceedings very well, much less U. S. business. Accordingly, the National City Bank of New York has recently undertaken an analysis of the straw-hat business of this country, shortly to come into its liveliest season.

About $30,000,000 is invested in this country in facilities for producing straw hats, out of a total investment in the hat business of about $100,000,000. Some 300 factories in this country make hats, and 96 of them specialize in straws. Annual output is valued at $116,000,000, consisting of $32,500,000 worth of straw hats, $75,000,000 of "fur felt" hats and $8,500,000 of "wool felt" hats.

Of the 96 straw-hat factories, about half are in New England and the Middle States. From 1904 to 1923, U. S. population increased 33%, but annual value of straw hats produced increased from $10,000,000 to $32,500,000--or 225%.

The straw in our hats is mainly obtained from special varieties of wheat in China, Japan and Italy, which are pulled before ripening, bleached and braided by hand labor. The braids are then exported to the U. S. and turned into hats by our factories.

In 1923, materials for straw hats were imported to the value of almost $8,000,000, Japan furnishing $3,000,000 of it, China $2,250,000 and Italy $1,000,000.