THE WOOL INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1835, 22 August 1913, Page 8

THE WOOL INDUSTRY.

O BRITISH SUPREMACY. A BRIGHT FUTURE PREDICTED Tlio latest special issue of the London "Times" is a "Textile Number" of C 8 page.;, in addition to tlio ordinary news tedious of the paper. The issue contains a wealth of .information concerning tlio cotton, linen, and wool industries, ami much that is of especial interest at this end of the world. The articles dealing with the .wool trade occupy fix pages of tlio issue,- while another page or so is given up to u description of the development of the industry in its different centres in Great Britain, Tlio" wool section opens with an inter- > esting review of the present position of the industry, from which wo take tho following: — In the early days the producing, manufacturing, and consuming centres of tho wool industry wero largely one and tho same; 'the farmer rearing the sheep, his wife and daughters spinning and weaving tho wool, and his dependents being clothed with tho Home product. Tho coming of tho mechanical era changed all this, and as tlio woll-growing industry and tlio machine-making 'industry—dependent upon coal and iron—wero fortuitously i situated in the West Biding of Yorkshire, . there was a gradual concentration of tho industry around Bra/ford, Leeds, and Huddersiiold. This concentration seems to have been aided rather than retarded by tlio development of Au.stralasi.-v as a \vool ; producing Continent, the probable explanation, being that the ' Australian 'wool-growers felt that they .needed tha backing of an industrial centre capable of being expanded to meet the growing possibilities of their trade; while it was

obviously to the advantage of tho York, shire manufacturers to control an industry which it "was early realised was open to remarkable developments. Thus as tho colonial wool sales developed for many years Bradford developed its control, and from 1800 to 1900 it might truly bo faid that Bradford dominated the "bulk" woo' trade of the world. How our Dominanco may bo Assailed. This dominance in the wool market has latterly been assailed in two ways. First/ there has been a remarkable development ; of Continental and American demand at' tho London wool sales, and secondly, tliero is aii increasing, tendency for Bradford and other firms to purchase direct at tho local Australian and New Zealand wool sales, and even in South America. Thus it seems probable that less and loss wool will bo handled by wool-brok-ers pure and simple, and that an increasing number of combers, spinners, and manufacturers will go straight to the'' headquarters of production and purchased direct. Then there arises tho question J as to whether the decentralising move-: nient will stop there, and whether it may not be possible to economise by suppressing double shipment. Why, for example, should the w-00l of Australia bu eliiupeit to the Old Country, manufactured thero, and .reshipped to Australia? Why not manufacture it there? The obvious answer is that Australia can ljest employ il< population in agricultural and the Old Country in industrial pursuits. But this does not minimise the fact that Australia is not without ideals respecting in.' dustrial possibilities, as instanced in tha' present-day subsidies devoted to _ wool/ combing and manufacturing, and in tin recent appointment of an Englishman, to equip anil manage a Government ( cloth factory. That Canada will develop on similar lines is to-day more than ever in evidence. Although the Preferential Tariff must be looked upon as a Liberal, Government's possibly unwilling move towards Free-trade, yet we find Sir Wilfrid Jiaurier—Who. was responsible with _ Mr. Fielding, for the act —opposing tlio sift of battleships to the Mother Country and contending for "A Canadian Kan- built in Canada and manned by Canadians." Sometimes superior skill audi sometimes other industrial conditions—cheap labour, for example—lia'vo influenced the ence of an industry from ono centre tv another. It might be possiblo for cheatf unskilled labour to wrest an industry ' from dearer and moro highly skilled labour in the past. It is very questionable) whether it will be able to do so in tho future. The converse is very likely to be true. For the moro highly developed and scientific an industry becomes, the more need is thero for highly-skilled captains and workers. It would reflect, ad-' versely on the credit of Yorkshire, however, to suggest that the lead already held is not to be maintained; t.h«? great technical institutions of Leeds and Bradford are a very 1 pungent reply to any such suggestion,

Fluctuation of Fashion, Tho textile industries of YorksMrfl (ire - possibly more seriously menaced bv t.hoir Continental rivals, but Continental dominance hero or English dominance on tlio Continent have seemed for years to follow fashion: if soft shifts have tail in demand, the Continental spinners and manufacturers have seriously troubled Yorkshire, even in tho Homo market; if crisper orossbreds liavo been in demand, Yorkshire has seriously troubled its Continental rivals. Tho truth seems to bo that the demand for wool goods is quito equal to tho supply of -tlio world 1 , and that if firms would devote their Attention to increasing the oflicicr.py of their plants and working staffs, instead of unduly troubling themselves with what) their Homo and Continental Competitors >tiro doing, many advantages would accrue. Tlio present unrest in tho American trade is probably only another indication of demand in a general sense being greater than supply, resulting in the realisation of the advantages of freeing industry and agriculture from miduo restraint in order that each may bo worked to tho greatest advantage. For the "pnsfc' 25 years, largely owing to scientific and mechanical developments, supply has apparently eo exceeded demand that the present generation can think only in terms of fighting for who is to supply this supposed limited demand. The fight jn tho near future is more likely to bo oil tlm question as to how the limited natural! supolios of ivnv ninterinls mny l>u worked up to tlin greatest advantage; and certainly that firm which serves best will profit most. , , . . But ten years ago and business cthus wero in a hopples nliglit: to-day tiio teachings ff Sheldon that "the science of business is the science of service," nod that "he profits most who serves best." are profoundly stirring the business niind, and may markedly influenco business, organisation and procedure in tlio near future. Supply of Raw Materials. That tho question of the supply of raw materials, for the textile industries is becoming increasingly serious is shown in the cotton trade by the institution or tho , British. Cotton Growing Association, and in the wool trade by the almost feverish state of tho wool market. That thoro • is in tho wool trade no association corresponding to tlio British Cotton Growing. ' Associaiion is probably duo to the wool trade being

So c.losaly bound up with "mutton." That thera has been a wonderful extension of shecp-famiing is best by reading such .1 work as, Darwin's "Voyage in Hie Be.igie," written in Hie early part of HlO nineteenth century, in which the wild dcrakttiou cf I'atagonia is described, and then turning" to tlio records of tlio very reoont development, of skejpf.irming 011 'the South American continou't. The development of wxKil-gTOwin.g, however, is barely keeping up with tlio demands, <vml it is diifficMi't to see wlwixj nnrkfi ore to tat:? place in the iii~ar future. 'i'lie inoluiir trade h.ii- been nir.e.h aided by the developments of R.'-rks V,; tb* Cape .Iml in California., and, ill view or the competition of artificial fill;., supplies nmy lie taken to be equal to Hie ir.ni.r.id, fl.Uho'ilgh it is iK-'-vni'v to add Hist Hi:* is in ft'period when (.he c!ii"f demand is for ».Tft goods; what would happen it haa'aor goods a"r!li onuo into fnslron is nnn-ilmT' nncAi'in. The lpaca has never been in -imy otl'ir country than Pwii, and tlio "npp!'>< of tl'-'s m.v terial are e«mw|m'ntly limited ami ■'■now 1 ittle development. In view of recent. jUoiidoWan research, hnwevnr. it kmus a* t-.lKiUigli the proVJe.m of the alpaca ought to be reinvestigated.