Greater Goal Human Dividends from American Industry (1953)

[Music] listen to the heartbeat of a great industry textle making has been an accompanying sound effect to all of American history for this nation's first manufactured product was cloth our first and therefore our oldest industry and after more than three centuries textile manufacturer today constitutes one of our largest Industries the wide variety of fabrics that pour out of textile mills plays a great part in your daily life a far bigger role perhaps than you realize in your home and in every home rich or poor from coast to coast whether the bell of the senior prom is turned out by scaparelli or by your own home sewing you live with and by textils from infancy through all the years of your life and everywhere you look from the drapes at your windows to the spread in sheets on your bed at every hour at every meal textils serve you well protecting you from infection and from the [Music] elements when you want to keep the sunshine out or when you want to let the sunshine in for health or you set on kind of Texs and walk on another and you walk in textils too the lining of your shoes is Fabric and when you ride you sit on textils comfortable and safe as you speed Along on Tire cords of tough textiles textiles are part of your play also from yachting Sals to tennis balls even the music you love is sometimes made with textils and what helps your garden to grow by water from rubber covered fabric holes America's famed mass production moves on conveyor El of woven Fabric and Industry sends its messages and keeps its records through textile Fabrics when War threatens our Armed Forces could not move without textiles clothing tents ropes packs and endless variety of woven materials in this age of global strategy our military leaders must face and solve problems never even dreamed of before the way a soldier is equipped may be the difference between life and death in battle he must have what it takes to survive in and to get himself out of the most precarious situations cold weather clothing especially developed by America's textile industry plays a vital role in any National Emergency warmth with lightness insulation by many layers of tightly woven fabrics this wardrobe of survival is but one example of how All American industry created in peace for peaceful uses is today this nation's greatest bullwark of strength but when you think of textiles you're most likely to think first of dress materials even the latest fashions look for inspiration to this oldest industry that is ever new the amazing industry which produces the soft luxurious velvet with the same skillful ease with which it makes this heavyduty canvas duck a delicate satin or belting material for industry printed designs for dresses or designs woven right in thick soft blankets or gossamer thin curtain materials every pattern and every type for every conceivable use and behind this versatile array of beauty and service stand a million and a quarter Americans the heart of the textile industry one of the nation's largest employers supplied by the products of Farm Ranch and Industry from every corner of the world textile workers turn out an almost endless variety of fabrics and more than 2,000 yarn fabric producing and finishing plants these people make the materials and furnish the inspiration for tens of thousands of designers Cutters clothing manufacturers and Distributors who in turn stock the shelves of hundreds of thousands of stores to satisfy the needs of America's Millions from the Mills that Mark its historic beginning the textile industry has been built on the American principle of free competition down through the years its progress has been a steady mark Mar forward in step with the nation's own Dynamic Economic Development it has known depressions yet one only has to look to see the typical American pattern of success in texto as in all of our Industries the race to compete has led as it inevitably must to better Mills better methods better men and eventually to a better way of [Music] life the United States is today the one shining hope of free peoples everywhere the world has turned to us and its need for food and fiber from our vast agricultural resources for our steel and our oil but they seek something else here also they seek the way of life which has created this industrial might strength deeply rooted in personal freedom a productive strength far greater than the sum total of all our foundaries factories and Fields former Generations once took American industry for granted the bigger it became the more more impersonal it seemed it took the threat of world destruction to make us realize this nation's greatness lies behind our Mill and Factory walls and that each of us has a tremendous personal state in its prosperity and continued growth so for the next few minutes let's look into the heart of the textile industry not just as a trip through a mill but as one living throbbing example of America's real wealth and material and social progress this is cotton arriving at the Mill at some other Mill it might be wool jute silk rayon nylon or today any of the several newer man-made fibers from the chemist laboratory however the basic methods of textile manufacture are essentially the same for all fibers and the processes and machinery called The Cotton system which you will see here are typical of the workings of all branches of the industry the raw cotton partially cleaned is wound in thick blankets onto large rolls like KingSize addictions of the cotton in your medicine chest these machines are called Pickers their job is to remove waste still present in the cotton it certainly doesn't look much like yarn here does it nevertheless it is yarn we're about to make step by painstaking step next carding this machine passes the cotton between fine wire brushes which clean away the last bits of foreign matter eliminating the shorter fibers and shaping the remaining longer ones into a filmy webike sheet the machine then draws it into finger thick ropes called [Music] sers now a number of sers 24 of them here are combined laid side by side forming another type of roll called a lap this is the first of several operations which combine and draw out the fibers on their way to becoming yarn here began several continuous processes called Drawing and roving where the combined fibers are drawn out still more and give in a slight twist gradually reducing the thickness while increasing the tensil strength at last we come to the final step in yarn making spinning the rope-like strands of loose cotton fibers you saw a moment ago here at high speed get the last drawing out and the final tight twist bringing it to any size required for weaving the many different kinds of fabric [Music] that portion of the spun yarn to be used for the warp or lengthwise threads and weaving goes now to the automatic spooling machine where it is transferred from bobbins onto cheeses or spools hundreds of these pools of white or dyed yarn are then placed in the warping creel positioning each thread for winding onto the huge warp beam these threads must be wound on the beam exactly parallel and precisely the right distance [Music] apart next to the slasher a multiple battery which combines several warp beams into one loom beam here the yarn also gets a sizing bath a starchy coating to protect it from the rubbing and chaping of the shuttle and harnesses in the weaving operation we are ready at last to begin making cloth as the beam is set aside until needed in the weaving room but first each individual end of yarn is drawn through the harness the apparatus which raises and lowers the lengthwise Yarns to make a path for the crosswise Flight of the shuttle back and forth the crosswires or filling threads are fed from bobbins carried by the shuttle and it flights across the loom between the separated warp threads a rotary battery holds 20 or more bobbins supplying a continuous flow of yarn the loom is the basic tool of the textile industry a Marvel of intricate and highspeed precision and a classic example of the industrial efficiency that has made ours the strongest and wealthiest Nation on Earth Here rayon is being Wen on the same type of loom nylon or any of the new man-made Yarns can be used as readily and as easily as cotton this is an Arctic combat clothing lining being made from a special acetate yarn and a rip stop weave this strange machine is a jackard loom which weaves the most complicated designs right into the cloths each warp thread is raised and led by a mechanism controlled by pattern cards punch like player piano rolls one jackard loom does the work that when Joseph jackard perfected this machine in 185 his life was threatened by fellow workers who feared for their jobs instead it created more jobs by lowering costs and bringing this highly prized material within reach of all every inch of cloth is examined at these lighted inspection tables where even the slightest imperfection is spotted the material is still in a gray or unfinished State a long way yet from being ready for your use it goes now to the finishing plant where the first step is bleaching this particular process is called rope bleaching the newest quickest and best it puts miles of material through a chemical saturation then Washings steaming and more Washings it comes out snowy white ready to be made into sheets or shirts or whatever for colored material sometimes the yarn itself is dyed first under high pressure but mostly the color is imparted to the woven cloth this is continuous vat dying a series of heat controlled color baths in which the dye is applied and fixed in one operation jig dying wine cloth alternately from one roll to another through the Dy B [Music] of course not all materials are solid colors many have designs here a copper roller is etched with a pattern for machine printing just as a printer prepares his plates for reproducing the pictures in your magazines in operation each color is picked up by the high places on the engraved roller the cloth goes through a process which fixes the colors permanently in the fabric [Applause] some materials require a special finish here a napping machine gives a soft fluffy surface to baby blankets a series of brushes carefully raise some of the fibers above the body of the cloth glazing as inchant for slip covers or curtains is done by coating the material with a pliable film of starch or plastic that is later Polished by smooth high pressure rollers and here's the finished material white colored printed napped or glazed wrapped onto bolts ready now to be made into the thousand one garments or products which you and your family use every day every hour of your life it's on its way to other kinds of Mills and plants to sewing rooms dress makers upholsterers and retail shops the world over but the real story of an industry is what it means to people the American workers's power to produce has created a standard of living that is as much a part of any modern industrial story as Mills or machines textiles in all its branches employs a million and a quarter people with their families that means 5 to 6 Millions one out of every 25 Americans who look to textiles for their livelihood this is in the main a small town industry New England textiles birthplace in America is the stronghold of w and wored goods today the Carolinas Georgia Alabama and Virginia constitute the biggest cotton texti producing area though the Middle Atlantic states have their share of Mills and there is rapid growth toward the Southwest in the typical small textile town the mill is literally the focal point for the entire community life revolves around it the modern textile Community particularly in the newer areas of the industry's expansion Bears little or no resemblance to old-fashioned concepts of a mill toown it's a thriving place whose Prosperity stems from One Source the Mills payroll salaries and wages paid out of profits provide the spending power which in turn promptly creates profits for others this is a simple example of how America's free economy Works to multiply wealth in a town as in a nation locally or nationally there must first be basic profits from a basic industry the financial core which splits and spreads in a chain reaction of many profits and security for all security is something a man or an industry must build and it's never merely a matter of dollars success in any major industry today depends not only on the quality of its product but also on the way of life it can support not all of the older textile towns are as pretty as these but with the industry spreading out constantly creating its own Better World scenes like these are f fast becoming typical the production of this Mill does not stop with cloth perhaps its most important product is this a comfortable American Home a place and an atmosphere a man can earn for his family and for his future in America we measure our aims not alone in dollars but in personal contentment and satisfaction Leisure is an important byproduct of our capacity to work together as one great industrial team constantly building a better life and creating the time to enjoy [Music] it good Mill management does not stop at the Mill door a company picnic is a common example of Industry as a social Enterprise and there's nothing cynical in saying that this Pleasant scene of people eating barbecued chicken is a symbol of good business for good Fellowship begets cooperation and cooperation is what turns out more and better Goods means more sales more profits more wages and more fun for everybody Country Club like facilities such as these are usually operated by the employees themselves they're simply an investment in people even more important than investments in Mills and materials modern ideas of management in the textile industry very often include new swimming pools right along with new looms and Machinery whenever possible to do so away from established industrial centers America's oldest industry is creating a new atmosphere the reason is both simple and practical this the good life is also good business a full sports schedule makes for a full production schedule the fishing's app to be pretty good in the very shadow of the mill and Beyond The Mill in the town itself are other fruits of men's labor faith in the American way of doing things with all its past mistakes and it still to be corrected imperfections has produced and is producing A Better Living than anywhere else on Earth our future yours and mine is linked to Industry whether we work in a mill on a farm or in an office we are benefited by industry Not Alone by the material Goods it produces but by the many social gains it creates and supports any hospital is a social gain but this one is even more because it really belongs to those who will use it the modern textile Town's productivity its independence its solvency make it a pretty healthy place to begin life an important investment in the textile industry lies in Education and Research a basic phase of preparation for a free nation's ever youthful Minds for profitable careers and in the realm of higher education the textile industry is unique 10 textile schools at college level throughout the country turn out trained young men and women well prepared to use the opportunities of an industry which though the oldest known to man is always looking for a better way the freedom of fresh Minds with KN how has always been the greatest single asset in All American [Music] industry new mindes are constantly coming up with new methods and Machinery this is a spectr photometer which scientifically checks the tress of color the pilgrim fathers who brought the industry to America would surely be amazed at these electronic devices for controlling quality textiles earnings are constantly being poured back into better ways of making a finer product at a lower cost the secret of America's leadership in manufacturing last year this industry reinvested $600 million in plant and Equipment here a revolutionary type of loom is being installed it has no shuttle or bobbins an automatic arm or finger draws the crosswise threads into the warp shed and during any trip through Modern textile mills you will have noticed something else in the newer ones particularly you will be impressed by how bright and cheerful everything is lighting and Engineers have brought artificial daylight to every corner of this huge winding room and the endoor climate is as near perfect as science can make it air conditioning has been a great Boon to textile making especially in the south in some plants even the wall colors are scientifically chosen usually restful pastels such improvements pay dividends in human comfort and convenience which in turn produce a better finished product the natural result of people working without undue stress or strain and today textile workers easily perform tasks that were once backbreaking chores mechanical lifters and overhead conveyors now transport loads that used to be done by human strength a simple flick of a switch moves this heavy Loom beam the remarkable Ingenuity that characterizes America's industries is to be found in full measure in Texs in Laboratories like this unending research also claims an important portion of Tex's earnings new products for tomorrow are born and an even closer watch is kept on the quality of today's production here in tests that check everything from color fastness to tear resistance and Industry keeps itself always on the alert here too are to be found the textiles of the future remarkable developments that transform an ordinary dress material like this into a treated cloth that miraculous ously withstand [Music] stains these tissue ginghams look exactly alike but the scientifically treated material on the left sheds water like the proverbial Ducks back even in damp muggy weather a gown of this material will retain its crisp fresh look here's a newly developed material which needs only to be hung up and without the aid of a pressing iron recovers its smooth unwrinkled Beauty textile research is constantly working on projects which to you are everyday problems these are only a few examples of modern textiles that are coming out of communities like this where in the comfort of his home the textile worker lives amid the results of his own productivity his security and Independence really mean something because he has earned them and all around him is the solid evidence of the rewarding industrial and social Enterprise of which he is the main spring all around him are indications that America is learning to to use her industrial resources to ever greater advantage in the midst of new and challenging social [Music] responsibilities the products of this great industry go out across the broad highways of the nation and even beyond our national borders world trade that works both ways for even as shipments marked made in the USA go to far off ports we receive from equally strange sounding places the raw materials we need long staple cotton from Egypt wool from Australia cashmir from India alpaca from South America flax from Europe silk from Japan as the loaded ships sail to help create a better world across the Seven Seas they're contributing also to the preservation of an even better World here at home people who made cloth even before America was discovered today beat a pathway by sea to our Shores a tribute to the skill of the American worker his looms and his Mills to a way of life in which human beings are the masters of the machines to a system in which our vast industrial resources are but the generating force of the greatest social Enterprise the world has ever seen the highest standard of living in all history has been earned bought and paid for by a nation's capacity to produce more important than Mills and machinery is the man who has made noow into a fine art the man everyone relies upon to make things go perhaps the most important man in the world and the world's best hope for a brighter future the American worker master of [Music] production for