ted that the average annual production
of men's sewed straw hats in recent years amounted to 800,000 dozen.
There are about 40 manufacturers of men's sewed straw hats in the United
States. The majority are well established firms.

The production of men's sewed straw hats for the season 1923-24 of 19
factories for which costs were obtained was 553,253 dozen. The factories
may be classified as follows:

TABLE 1.--_Domestic straw-hat factories grouped according to annual
production_

------------------------------------+--------+------------+----------
| Number | Production | Per cent
| | | of total
------------------------------------+--------+------------+----------
| | _Dozen_ |
Group I. Factories with annual | | |
production of | | |
50,000 dozen and over | 4 | 265,767 | 48.0
Group II. Factories with annual | | |
production of | | |
25,000-49,000 dozen | 4 | 122,936 | 22.2
Group III. Factories with annual | | |
production of less | | |
than 25,000 dozen | 11 | 164,550 | 29.8
+--------+------------+----------
Total production | | 553,253 | 100.0
------------------------------------+--------+------------+----------

_Kinds of hats produced._--There are two general types of men's straw
hats produced by the domestic manufacturers:

(1) Woven hats, such as panamas, etc. The bodies of these hats are
imported in the rough and are shaped, finished, and trimmed in this
country.

(2) Sewed hats. All of the operations necessary in the manufacture
of a sewed straw hat, with the exception of plaiting the braids, are
performed in the United States. This investigation relates to sewed
hats only.

_Organization of production._--The manufacture of straw hats is
essentially a factory business and with few exceptions each concern
carries on all of the major operations connected with the production of
hats in a single establishment. Plaiting of straw braid is a separate
industry, the domestic hat manufacturers being dependent upon fo