Vol. XV
Spray, N. C., Monday January 7, 1957
NUMBER 13
Bedspread Production To Increase
»»
This
new reel is one of several new pieces of equipment being added at the
^arastan Rug Mill. Maynard Cox, of tlie shop, erects a guard rail while William
^?vick, operator, gets the machine ready for use. Looking over the new unit are
^gil Hall (left) superintendent, and C. B. Barham, foreman of winding and setting.
Hoberts Elected Treasurer
Richmond R. Roberts has been named
*’®asurer of Fieldcrest Mills, Inc. and
Mil
assume his duties February 1. His
^®ction came at a meeting of the Board
Directors December 13 and was an
nounced here by President Harold W.
^^hitcomb.
Robert A. Harris, recently elected
president in charge of manufac-
in addition to his offices as sec-
'^etary and treasurer of the Company,
'vill relinquish his duties as treasurer
^hen Mr. Roberts takes over that of-
Mr. Whitcomb said.
A native of Wise County, Virginia,
a graduate of Emory and Henry
College, Mr. Roberts has been em-
Woyed by the General Electric Com-
^®ny in various capacities in their ac-
'^ounting, financial, and operating de
partments since 1936.
^Ir. Roberts, now of New Canaan,
^nnecticut, at present is staff assistant
0 the treasurer of General Electric,
specializing in cash flow and cash and
banking procedures. He earlier was
(Continued on page five)
Co
Karastan To Show
New Items At Market
Fieldcrest’s annual rug sales meeting
was held in the Karastan showrooms in
the Merchandise Mart Saturday and
Sunday, January 5 and 6, preceding the
opening of the Chicago Home Furnish
ings Show today (Monday).
President Harold W. Whitcomb and
other members of general management
and Karastan mill and sales officials
attended the meeting which brought to
gether all of our road salesmen for rugs
from all parts of the nation. Several of
the officials remained in Chicago for
the opening of the market.
Karastan's new lines for the Spring
selling season are being introduced at
the market. Among the items being
shown are the new group of cotton Siesta
Beach rugs, a completely new color line
in all-wool Chateau broadloom, a fine
Lyons Savonnerle carpet pattern and a
(Continued on page five)
Additional Looms And Dyeing
Equipment Being Installed To
Expand Operations For Antici
pated Sales Increase
Fieldcrest Mills plans to expand pro
duction and sales of its woven bed
spread mill in Leaksville approximately
20 per cent by the purchase of all of
the Crompton & Knowles box looms
with jacquard heads and all of the
beam and package dyeing equipment
formerly operated by the Monument
Mills, Inc. of Housatonic, Mass.
Monument Mills was an old estab
lished New England producer of wov
en bedspreads for more than 100 years
which announced its intention to
liquidate last November. The mill had
been a major competitor of Fieldcrest
and its removal from the bedspread
market should materially strengthen
Fieldcrest’s position in the industry,
according to a statement announcing
the expansion by Harold W. Whitcomb,
president of Fieldcrest.
G6 Looms Purchased
Fieldcrest bought 66 looms, 50 jac
quard heads of the large 1248-hook
type, and four 2-kier stainless steel
Smith Drum package dyeing units,
three 8-port dryers and other auxiliary
dyeing equipment. Two of the units will
replace two cast-iron units now in
use and the other two will be added
to existing facilities.
Installation of the newly-acquired
looms and dyeing units will enable the
mill to expand production sufficiently
to take care of the anticipated increas
ed sales and at the same time make
the mill more versatile with the addi
tional dyeing capacity needed due to
the more colors required for higher
styling, etc.
The looms are like brand new, most
ly ] 949 and 1953 models, about the
same type looms that would be pur
chased new today from the manufac
turer. Of the 66 looms, 42 are 120”
and the remainder 112”. Fieldcrest will
install 54 looms under the present jac
quard heads. The other 12 have terry
motions capable of weaving the loop-
pile colonial type spreads and these will
be grouped with the mill’s present loop-
pile models.
To make room for the recently ac-
(Continued on page four)