YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3177, 30 August 1917, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

BUYING THE COLONIAL CLIP SAVES MILLIONS (From Our Special Correspondent.) niIADFOKD, July 5. IVn are Ktill passing through very strenuous and to eoine extent lively times, and colonial nastoralisls will he very much interested in Iho publication of «■ White Paper issued as a memorandum of War Ollico contracts. It is a document of reasonable size, and as its contents are almost entirely devoted to the purchase and Marketing of ttni Britten, and colonial clips, ii is of moro than passing interest to readers of Ihis letter. No space is wasted in going over old ground. In tho l'crst paragraph, tin: statement is made that, it is estimated that tho control of British and colonial wool has effected a saving of over £13,000,000, and the conlrol of leather £4,000,000. That is good news of itself, but the question naturally arises, Out of whom has it been saved? The writer will have to be careful regarding what ho says, otherwise he can Boon Ijo charged with writing things, which, to use an official expression, am "prejudicial to thn success of the wool purchase scheme." 'it, is all right making that statement, but had either the British or colonial clips been offered for sale by public auction as in days gone by, pastoralists would have fared very difierently. Nobody objects to being told that colonial wool-growers are satisfied with their recent deal, and everything indicates that the forthcoming clip will be purchased ou. similar lines. It ia all rignt telling the world that £13,000,000 has been saved, but the trade at this end feels that nothing has really been sained, because there arc scores of firms whoso means df livelihood has been cut off. they can neither buy nor sell, there will bo nothing like tho excess profits to be reaped in tho West Riding areas that thero was last year, while this scheme of wool control has created such feelings of bitterness as would surprise every reader if they were here and moved throughout the trade for a. week. It is now generally acceded that some measure of State control was necessary, and no one objects to the general principle of purchasing either the British or colonial cliys. Un to that point every man is as loyal to the British Government as it is possible to be, but it is the methods employed in controlling the industry, literally torpedoing hundreds of firms, crippling trade, and killing all initiative which has called forth such strong rwntinent It is all right telling the world that £13.000,000 has been saved, but one asks. What is the cost of administration, what has been lost by way of excess profits, and what has been created of bitterness and ill-fteling? All this is more than a passing phenomena of the present state control.

An Outspoken Statement. There has been established what is known as the Wool Textile Association of the United Kingdom. The inaugural meeting was held Just Thursday in London, it being probably the most important assembly of business men connected with the wool textile industry ever seen under one roof All the mombers of Parliament representing textile constituencies were present, including leaders of the trade. Some very plnin things were said, but the speech of theevening which has pleased the trade most ™.W made by Mr. T. H. Jones. It should be briefly explained that this gentleman was a partner, in a leading mm of Bradford export merchants, handling wool, tops, noils, and wastes. Uwnsg to his linguistic ability and his knowledge of the Continental trade, having travelled extensively, the Government claimed his services after a fow mouths of war. He is now Chairman of the Wool Export Sub-Committee of the War Trade Department, and occupies a very' responsible position. His statements have met with hearty approval throughout the entire trade. Mr. Jones,"speaking at the meeting referred to. made the .following signmcitnt.remarlis: "The Government were perfectly justified in controlling wool, and 10 taking all they needed for military requirements, and for whatever reserve' was held to be necessary, but after that ho claimed, as the majority of the origin.i.l Advisory Panel recommended, that what remained over, little though it may he. should be as frco as possible, subject to control of exports. Wool was now being doled out like soup from a soup kitchen, and he did not envy those who had it to do. It would bo far 7noro difficult to allocate the supplies than it had been to allocate petrol or sugar. If those in authority had the wisdom of Sr-lornon and the integrity of tho Angel Gabriel, they ciiuld not do it as equitably and as promptly as it would be done if it were left in tho ordinary trade channels to be governed by tho laws of supp'y and demand. fiodo was dependent on the fulfilment of obligations and they could not keep their trade, and fiilnl their promisee of reinstatement to life thousands of young- men -who had gono to fight, their battles if all freedom was to I-β taken away from them. . The Wool Icxtile ' Association ought to do its utmost to preserve all the liberty possible in order to preserve their trade and. keep it free for individual incentive and initiative." After reading: the above, no oiie can say -where things stand. Had the , line of action outlined by Mr. .Tones boon adopted, there would have, been, no spirit of antagonism in the wool trade, but the latost developments under the Priority Scheme are such as to emphasise still more the difficulties under which the trade is at present labouring. However, we will say no more on that head. Wool Consumption. Ijct us refer again to the White Taper already, mentioned. Attached to tho memorandum aro enclosures dealing with tho main commodities controlled by the Director of Army Contracts. That relating to wool is of special interest.' It states thJtl in normal pre-war day& the wool requirements of the British Army and Navy had nw appreciable effects upon supplies, the total amount for military purposes being less than 1 per cent, of tho total confiuroption in tho United Kingdom. 1 . All olothing. etc., required was easily obtained by the method of competitive tendorlng. The war demand, however, quickly reversed this state of affairs. From the pro-war scale of consumption tho demand for wool rose in three months to 20 per cent., and then rapidly accelerated to a level -which in 1917 olosely approximated to the total pre-war wool consumption of the United Kingdom. Tho yearly pre-war demand compared with the average yearly war roquiremcntl) as fol-' 10-.v: - Yearly average Yearly for three average months from ended Awrust, 1914, March lo July 'Jl, 19M. 31. 1917. Cloth (yards) 1,039.998 36 277,933 Flannel (yards) ... 1,083.767 16,829,950 ' Hosiery, number of ■articles 1,308,973 52,765,616 Blankets, number of articles 165,650 11,708,453 liet no olio think after reading tho abovo that tho writer is the least prejudiced. Being in close touch 1 with the trade, wo are ablo to feel the pulse of practically all, and we can truthfully say that wo have not yet met one single individual engaged in tho wool industry either ip London, Bradford, or throughout the West Hiding who does not think that, tho wiholo business could have been raoro successfully handled than it has been. IP the authorities had eimply controlled supplies, mnde adequate provision-for military rc.quiroments and a, reasonable reserve, besides limiting export by .continuine the licencing principle, then as Jtr. Jones says, had released any .baliuico and offered same by public auction, that, would have satisfied everyone. At present' spinnprs and manufacturers nre faced with, still moro standing machinery, and tho difficulties they are confronted with arc colossal. Nothing is knowu at prwent about tho disposal of further supplies of colonial wool. It looks as if there will not. be any moro public auctions either for distributing wool to manufacturers who havd received military.orders or to anybody else. As a matter of facts all firms working for the Government are daily inspecting samples at the Wool Office in' Bradford, whore a 61b. sample, -representing every lot for salo is drawn, and a. steady business is going through there. There aro two standard selling lists, Government contractors being supplied wool at sensihlv less than Ihoso who wa.nl the raw material for civilian purposes. As a matter of fact, sales for tho latter aro distinctly limited. The Department this last'week lias begun in earnest, to take over supplies of free wool, and they arc actually comniamlcprrng both merino and crossbred wool at less than it is worth in tho open market, and in many wises less than it cost by public auction in Colcman Street.