A NEW INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1074, 13 March 1911, Page 9

A NEW INDUSTRY.

MAKING FLOAYEKS. At a time when the Queen has ordered her Coronation robes and dresses to be made of all-British materials, thus giving a welcome fillip to the silk industry at Braintree, tit is especially interesting to note the rise of a new cottage industry in a. South Bedfordshire village whicn shows bright promise tor Coronation year (says an English writer). The English straw plaiting industry that once gave employment to thousands of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire villagers is now almost extinct. The workers has mostly migrated to the busy factories of Luton, which has a huge output of hats from the abundant supply of straw plait made in Japan (90 per cent.), China, and Italy. The English market in artificial flowers for ornamentation of laores' hats is governed to-day by Germany and Austria. During last summer a bold experiment was made to utilise the inherent skill in finger-work of an old plaiting village to compete effectively with the foreigner in what has lately been his monopoly. It required patience and energy without stint. A start was made with one worker,and when she had become efficient in shaping and curving petals and leaves from fine chip straw, auotner was trained. AVorkers increased rapidly in skill until tho goods ivere ready for placing before the critical eye of a buyer. To the overseas Dominions belong the honour of recognising a future for the industry. The first models were shown to an Australian buyer, who are once declared: "They are right for the trade and they are new. There is nothing in the foreign market to approach them. It is a really new- English industry." On seeing tho full range b£ colours, he placed an order for 700 dozen. Samples have, lately been submitted to the Continental trade, with the' happy result that the writer saw a large pile of boxes containing hats and flowers ready for shipment. The colourings and harmonies have been in the hands of an expert; and already over thirty different combinations are prepared. Of tho newest rrenc'-t shades the most successful has been Chavreuse. a delicato rose tint. The writer was taken to see the actual handiwork, and one can hardly realise the skill that is required to shape and coax the chip straw into such artistic imitations of real flowers and foliage. • A steaming process follows, in which iron ' moulds are used to ensure symmetrical formation of the flowers. The most popular feature cf the new chin straw passementerie is the spray, which consists of two half-blown rose forms with leaves approximately set so as to be easily adjusted to a hat of any shape. Other pretty reproductions consist of trails of buds and half-open rambler roses; spurs of four Noisette roses with delicately curved leaves: and bunches of single rosebuds, tied in half-dozens, and twi<rs made up into latticc-worlr. The new trimmings is especially suited to children's hats in attractive shndings. The flowers are so perfectly matched that they seem to be a natural adornment of the hat itself., The other shapes in which it is used vary from the newest pud most coquettish toques to the broad-brimmed mush-room-types for the schoolgirl. Further developments are in progress, and it is gratifying to know that while this new product of English handicraft competes easily in price with the foreign article tho workers earn. wnires that are more thnn treble those gained from plaiting in its best days.