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INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-FIFTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H. R. 469

A BILL TO PROTECT PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS AGAINST
MISBRANDING AND FALSE ADVERTISING OF THE FIBER
CONTENT OF TEXTILE FIBER PRODUCTS, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

AND

H. R. 5605 and H. R. 6524

BILLS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND OTHERS AGAINST
FAILURE TO IDENTIFY, MISBRANDING, AND FALSE
ADVERTISING OF THE FIBER CONTENT OF TEXTILE
FIBER PRODUCTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

APRIL 4, 5, 11, 12, AND 29, 1957

Printed for the use of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce

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COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE
OREN HARRIS, Arkansas, Chairman

JOHN BELL WILLIAMS, Mississippi
PETER F. MACK, JR., Illinois
KENNETH A. ROBERTS, Alabama
MORGAN M. MOULDER, Missouri
HARLEY O. STAGGERS, West Virginia
ISIDORE DOLLINGER, New York
WALTER ROGERS, Texas
MARTIN DIES, Texas

SAMUEL N. FRIEDEL, Maryland
JOHN J. FLYNT, JR., Georgia

TORBERT MACDONALD, Massachusetts
GEORGE M. RHODES, Pennsylvania

JOHN JARMAN, Oklahoma
LEO W. O'BRIEN, New York
JOHN E. MOSS, California
JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan

J. CARLTON LOSER, Tennessee

ANDREW STEVENSON
KURT BORCHARDT

CHARLES A. WOLVERTON, New Jersey
JOSEPH P. O'HARA, Minnesota
ROBERT HALE, Maine

JOHN W. HESELTON, Massachusetts
JOHN B. BENNETT, Michigan

JOHN V. BEAMER, Indiana
WILLIAM L. SPRINGER, Illinois
ALVIN R. BUSH, Pennsylvania
PAUL F. SCHENCK, Ohio

JOSEPH L. CARRIGG, Pennsylvania
STEVEN B. DEROUNIAN, New York

J. ARTHUR YOUNGER, California
WILLIAM H. AVERY, Kansas
BRUCE ALGER, Texas

WILL E. NEAL, West Virginia

ELTON J. LAYTON, Clerk

Professional Staff

SAM G. SPAL

MARTIN W. CUNNINGHAM

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND FINANCE

PETER F. MACK, JR., Illinois, Chairman

MORGAN M. MOULDER, Missouri
ISIDORE DOLLINGER, New York
JOHN JARMAN, Oklahoma
JOHN E. MOSS, California

JOHN B. BENNETT, Michigan
JOHN V. BEAMER, Indiana
WILLIAM H. AVERY, Kansas
BRUCE ALGER, Texas

II

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State Department on H. R. 469.

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Bailey, Herbert E., assistant secretary, Johnson & Johnson, New
Brunswick, N. J..

240

Barnet, William, William Barnet & Son, Albany, N. Y.

198

Bedell, Donald W., assistant sales manager, Chemstrand Corp.,
Decatur, Ala__

168

Brooks, Derek, manager, Washington office, National Retail Furni
ture Association_

89

Ford, Hon. Gerald R., Jr., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Michigan_

185

Freedman, Milton S.

242

Fri, James L., president, Upholstery and Drapery Fabric Manufac-
turers Association, Inc___

136

Fricker, Edward, National Association of Furniture Manufacturing
Companies, Inc.-

98

Harper, Valentine J., Upholstery & Drapery Fabric Manufacturers
Association, Inc.

136

Helfrich, Karl H., vice president and secretary, Forstmann Woolen
Co., Passiac, N. J..

147

Lynn, John C., legislative director, American Farm Bureau Federa-
tion_..

37

Marsh, Edwin E., executive secretary, National Wool Growers
Association__

47

Miller, Henry, Assistant to the General Counsel, Federal Trade Com-
mission_.

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Roberts, Hon. Kenneth A., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Alabama..

19

Rubin, Joseph L., resident counsel, Popular Priced Dress Manufac-
turers Group, Inc...

252

Furniture Manufacturers Association of California, telegram from
Eddy S. Feldman, executive secretary-

141

New York Neighborhood Cleaners Associations, letter from Frank
Pollatsek, executive director__

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Excerpts from correspondence of manufacturers of fabrics_-_113-116
Statement of J. T. Ryan, executive vice president, on H. R.
12332, 84th Congress___

107

Thread Institute, Inc., statement of F. L. Johnson, chairman, board of
directors___

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TEXTILE FIBER PRODUCTS IDENTIFICATION ACT

THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1957

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND FINANCE

OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE,

Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to call, in room 414, Old House Office Building, Hon. Peter F. Mack, Jr. (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Mr. MACK. The committee will come to order.

The subcommitte is considering this morning H. R. 469, introduced by our colleague Mr. Smith, from Mississippi, H. R. 5605, which I introduced, and H. R. 6524, a bill identical to mine, which was introduced by Mr. O'Brien, of New York.

All three bills deal with the labeling and advertising of textile fiber products, and are for the purpose of protecting consumers and other against the misbranding and false advertising of such products.

We already have on the statute books the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939, and the Fur Products Labeling Act of 1951, which are designed to protect consumers and others against misbranding (and also false advertising in the case of fur) of wool and fur products. Hence, the legislation being considered this morning would extend the same protection that consumers and others now have with respect to wool and fur products to other textile fiber products.

Both the Smith bill and the bills introduced by Mr. O'Brien and myself were considered by this committee last year. In fact, it was the consensus of opinion in the committee that the Smith bill should be reported favorably to the House. However, in view of the fact that it was late in the session, the committee postponed final action on it until this year, and directed the committee staff to explore the objections raised by certain segments of the textile industry in an effort to compromise existing differences so that a new bill could be introduced in the 85th Congress which would be satisfactory to all, insofar as possible.

Accordingly, during the recess of the Congress, the committee staff under the direction of Judge Arthur G. Klein, former chairman of this subcommittee, met with certain groups of the textile and furniture industry to discuss their objections to this legislation. Some of these sessions were attended by Congressman Smith. I am advised that while these meetings were very helpful in getting a better understanding of the problems faced by certain segments of the textile and furniture industries, the attempts to compromise differences on this legislation were not too successful.

During the course of these hearings, the subcommittee shall try to determine what legislation is in the best interest of the public.

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