MEL-ROSE-GLEN
THE VOICE OF MELROSE AND GLENN MILLS
VnliitnA ^ MELROSE HOSIERY MILLS
V U Ulllc O (Seamlegs and Full Fashion Plants)
HIGH POINT, N. C., SEPT. ISSUE, 1949
GLENN HOSIERY MILLS
(Infants* and Misses* Goods)
No. 12
The Neon Sign
Many favorable comments have
been made about the new Melrose
signs.
Locally the Melrose sign is a
beautiful and spectacular thing.
The colors follow the Melrose
letterhead in rose and green. It is
the plan to tie in the electric sign
with national advertising and with
printed matter such as labels, pack
aging. etc., using the word Melrose
in script.
Tha purpose of the sign is to
makR an association in the minds
of all interested persons, identify
ing Melrose with the entire hosiery
industry. When the public — and
particularly buyers—think hosiery,
we want them to think “Melrose.”
One sign faces English Street,
which is a thoroughfare, and the
other sign faces the Southern
Railway. Buyers, salesmen, indus
trialists and others riding the
Southern Railway are certain to
see this artistic message—at least
on occasion—and it is hoped that
during the life of the sign the story
of Melrose and High Point will be
carried far.
Incidentally some people have
asked about the wiring of the
sign: the answer is that our elec
trician, “Shorty” Steed, hooked up
the signs.
ABOUT NYLON
(Repeated by Request)
The word “nylon” was manu
factured—as synthetic as the ma
terial it describes. It has no mean
ing in Hself, but was chosen from
several hundred suggestions be
cause it is distinctive and easy to
pronounce. This name for a new
family of chemicals has become
a new word in the English lan
guage.
The real beginning of nylon was
in 1930, but the process was not
generally known until 1938. A
group of well trained organic
chemists selected a problem known
as “polymerization.” Polymer is a
familiar process in the formation
of rubber, the muscle of animals
and men, casein of milk and cellu
lose, in which smaller molecules,
minute particles, unite to form
larger molecules.
One group of long-chain poly
mers was called “superpolymers.”
In 1930, in removing one of the
“superpolymers” from a still, it
was noted that it could be drawn
out like a strand of taffy candy,
but that when cooled it was not
brittle, and the cooled strand could
be drawn out to several times its
original length. It could be tied in
knots without breaking. The chem
ists settled down to practical de
velopment of the finding. The first
nylon thread was made by forcing
the polymer through a hypoder
mic needle.
The popular description of nylon
is that it is made of coal, air and
water. Actually, the chemical com
pounds are carbon, nitrogen, oxy
gen, and hydrogen found in these
ingredients. These compounds are
united to form “nylon salt” which
is in no way related to common
table salt, except that both “salts”
are white. Nylon salt is made of
two complex chemicals known as
Adipic acid and hexamethylene di
amine. Recent development has
provided a way to get these two
chemicals (with carbon, nitrogen,
oxygen and hydrogen) from
sources other than coal, air and
water. Natural gas, or methane,
and cyclohexane (made from ben
zine) along with ammonia are used
in the new process. (Cyclohexane
is a naturally occurring component
of petroleum and it is hoped that
eventually this ingredient can be
Continued (3n Page 2
A BOOST TO MELROSE AND TO HIGH POINT!
HOSIERY MILLS
HIGH POINT N.C.
Shown above is the colorfully attractive neon sign which w'e recently
had erected. Daily hundreds of people observe this sign, automobile, bus
and train passengers, and countless pedestrians. It’s a real tribute to
Melrose quality!
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
People who have been in the hosiery industry a long time
report that conditions change, sometimes abruptly and with
out explanation. Whatever the cause, we know that locally
we have gone through one of the so-called slump periods.
It was evident a year ago that the market was becoming
more and more competitive. Although we thought we had been
doing a good job during the war year? we started looking
about to see where improvement could be made.
The company appealed to the employees for cooperation
in a two-point program: (1) improved quality, and (2) reduced
cost. It was spelled out in detail what was meant by quality
and cost reduction. We said quality work could create jobs.
There has been an amazing response from workers in all
departments and all mills.
Now, it is quite evident that the analysis was correct and
the results are paying off in putting the mills in a preferred
position.
Of course, side by side with employee cooperation, man
agement has had to be especially alert day after day. It has
meant, on occasion, sacrifice in offering goods at prices to
move them. It has meant extra service of salesmen in the
field. It has meant that management has matched workers’
cooperation with constant and alert supervision and manage
ment.
There are many evidences of this position. Melrose main
tained its program at a comparatively high level when condi
tions were at their worst. Melrose felt immediately the first
signs of rally or pick up. Melrose is especially proud of the
large number of new accounts that have been brought to the
mills. At the present time more knitting machines are in oper
ation than at any time since the new knitting building has
been occupied. The finishing departments report that of 53
styles now in the Melrose line, 50 are definitely active.
We do not know whether this is a genuine rally or only a
spurt, but however it may turn out, there is reason to believe
the above factors apply.
The chief point of which story is that management recog
nizes a swell job done by the Melrose employees. It could not
have been done without the intelligent, helpful cooperation of
supervisors and operators in all departments.
GIRLS BOWLING
If any employees are interested
in getting up a bowling team, there
is a meting at City Hall Thursday
of this week at 7:30.
WANTED:
Addresses for the folowing em
ployees :
Mary Smith
Roy Armstrong
Emery Smith
Tools Improve
Material Welfare
Tools are all the things used by
man to produce other things, that
is, goods and services.
Tools are things made by man,
and things made by natural pro
cesses.
Obviously, factory machines are
tools.
So are the buildings that house
them and the land under the build
ings.
So are the various materials
used up in production.
So are the finished products
while they are for sale.
On the farm, the cleared, culti
vated, and fertilized soil used to
produce crops is just as much a
tool as is the plow.
So is the horse that pulls the
plow.
So are milk sheds, silos and
barns.
So is the wagon that carries the
crops to market.
So is the stock of seed and the
fertilizer.
So are the railroad trains and
motor trucks that haul the goods.
In the hands of storekeepers and
their clerks, the inventories of
goods for sale are part of the tools
used to produce a service, just as
are the store buildings and the
store fixtures.
Tools are all the things used by
man to improve his material wel
fare (that is, to produce goods and
services) through changing the
form, condition and place of nat
ural resources.
(This is the third in a series of
six editorials which explain simply
the basic economics which govern
oil'’ lives. Text pnd illi;t't.'ationa
are from “How We Live,” written
by Fred G. Clark and Richard
Stanton Rimanoczy and published
by D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., New
York. They are by permission of
the American Economic Founda
tion.)
SEPTEMBER NINTH
September 9th is an important
date for all members of the credit
union. This date falls at the end of
the second period of three months
set by the State Examiner. An im
portant meeting will be held in the
Social Hall at 7:30.
It is in this MEETING that
issues are decided and decisions
made.
While loans have not been made
during the two three-months
periods, many hundreds of dollars
have been collected and members
have continued to deposit shares.
The functions of the credit union
are two-fold: (1) to provide a con
venient way for members to save
in any amount, (2) enable members
who are willing to cooiform to rules
of borrowing to get sums as needed
for short periods at low interest.
The Melrose Credit Union has
assisted scores of employees in fi
nancing various projects and needs.
The plan is simple: some members
deposit savings, others borrow and
repay in regular amounts.
The Board of the Credit Union
has appealed to all borrowers to
continue cooperating to make as
good showing as possible when the
examiner comes on the 9th. The
Board also urges upon all members
the importance of having as many
members present as possible Fri
day, September 9th.
The Credit Union has proved to
be a good thing and should have
the active, intelligent assistance
of the membership at this time.
Everybody Helped: It Worked
The electrician reports that of
570 fluorescent tubes tested, 90
were good. Of 104 starters tested,
40 were good. This sort of coopera
tion proves that a “cut-down-on-
waste” program can get results!