YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3196, 21 September 1917, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

AN EYE-OPENER FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (Prom Our Sptcial Correspondent.) 1 Bradford, July 26. Sinco lait • there have been iin» portant developmoils in the wool textilo trade, events foreshadowed last v-eek nncting expression in' a large and very important meeting/held iu the Mechanics' Institute, Brudfcrd, between representatives of the tradi and Mr. 11. A\ r . Torater, Finanoial Becrefary to the War Ollioe. That meeting \\aa long overdue, and Mr. Forster obtained at first band full knowledge of tho dWatisfaction which has prevailed throughcut the entire industry for Bomo considerable time. The writer desires to do tHs leading member of tDa War Office ful justice, but, judging by hie attitude at the meeting, and what was said, Mr, Focstor appears to have been living In a fcbl's paradise. It is r.ot too much to say that he has been hoodwinked by officials. The statement made l y Mr. Forster some three weeks ago that the scheme of control has < gone through with a "minimum of friction" was Quito out of harmony with truth, and the Financial Secretary W the War Office and Jiis retinue of officials went back to London with the scales rabbed from their 'eyes. The writer dares to say that the whole measure has given sitißfaction to nobody except highly-paid Government officials,- and there Are dozens i>f woolmen who have joined \jie service-of the Government and are h&lping to tarry out the scheme of State control wld were following their duties with feelings of revolt constantly uppermost in ihfir minds. As we have repeatedly said, it is fhe fact that we are engaged in a war of such magnitude which is in- I duoing thsm to be loyal to the War Office, otherwise' a different tale would have to be told.. The entire |rade is loyal, only everyone feels that while the principles of State coatrol are right, they have been employe! in too arbitrary a way to call forth feelings of approval or willing support. .. ,

A So-called Private Meeting. The gathering ivaa a historic' one, anil supposed, to be private. It ia iiigh time the 'Government realised there ia praetioollr nothing r.o-day connected with the whole measure of control which can bo called strictly priTate. The fact is that anyone can ascertain by merely asking almost anything he wants to know. Borne floe morning wonderful things will bo made public which are not now widely known, but that point can be left to a U&y; The pcetliig last Thursday , was really il challenge to the Government, and everybody realised* that cither tho Department is wrong in its statement regarding gup* plies, or else it has failed to realiso what stooks are being held. As far aB tlio writer is able to make out a huge blunder has been made ly tho Department in not, including the large stocks of tops, yarns, wastes, noils, and laps which are all partly raw manufacturing materials, and which are well suited for the production of military and other fabrics which are wanted for civilian and export purposes. It has been stated by a loading member of. the trade who took part in the discussion at the meeting that the Department has failed to lake into account ono hundred million pounds of material which are all available in tho country for keeping textile machinery runnlug. If that quantity of stuff has been ovei'looked then anyone can see at once that enough stock has been missed to provide months of work for spindles, and loomß. Wool not being in the original bales as it comes from our colonies, or having gone through some manufacturing processes, iB no reason why it should.be overlooked or lost sight of. Tops can be spun into yarn, and mado into pieces, and laps can be recombed into tops,, while the various wastes which aro made in \aj£l-combing, drawing and spinning and also weaving. all can be used again in tho production of Army materials. As far as one can learn all these havo been totally ignored,'which is prejudicial to the interests of the entire irade. If the Department aims at- creating no more than a -reasonable reserve stock of wool; they will havo no difficulty in doing this, for the? have larger weights at their disposal than is generally, supposed. j Wastes for Cloths.

It is. 1 not long since that the writer had something, practical- to; say regarding waste), and how, they can be used in the production of good wearablo fabrics, particularly in tho woollen trade. If we take laps ivhich arc produced in combing, these can le recarded and combed, and are capable jof producing a ni«e carded top. It may be shorter in' length, but it is capable of .being spun into thick yarns. Thcso spinners' laps and spinnorß' wastes can all be jarnetted aiid used in ; the production of flannels, shirtings, and woollen cloths. Thm are largely used by the woollen trade, and some excellent cloths are mado out of a combination of wastes, mungo and cotton.. Tlio writer is only stating a fact well known to all engaged in Mio trade that thousands of piecojj are aade weekly on the woollen principle that do not contain a single pound of virgin wool. The fact is, if all wool, had to be employed in the production of woollen fabrics, prices would be high, whereas by the judicious use of mungo and shoddy, as well as cotton, fabrics can be produced which will wear well, and at a price which the rank and flle can touch. We have heard lately a good deal about tho making.- of standard cloths. There is much moonshine about this, and a good deal ffloro in the actual making of the fabric. If the Government officials would only leave the manufacturing of cloths in tbo hands of practical men, fabrics could bo produced quite as cheap—nay, cheaper— than the price that will be named for socalled standard fabrics. Even 10-day gome saleable tweed cloths are being mado in' Huddersfield at ss. to 6s. per yard, and they will wear and look well.

Carbonising Wools. Anothor matter which -well deserves attention Is the presence on the market of large quantities of carbonising wools. These, owiug to the short nature of the staple cannot bo combed, unless it Id cn the French (Schlumberger) principle, and ■ e . J s '? we 'ght of carbonising matorial, which is available, can all he used in the production of shirtings, flannels, end other woollen fabrics. These are important points of which Government officials have no practical knowledge, and it is a fallacy to assume that because wool is taken from the bales, it is available for combing, and being spun on the worsted pviapiple. The whole wool textile trade has to-day. become so specialised that wool, whether-it be h.alf an inch or three inches in staple in merinos, or up to 12 inches in crossbrede can be used for one purpose or another, and it is high time the officials kept their hands off the trade, and left the entire business to the management of a small executive committee. As previously said State control ia all right. It ia the application cf the principle which has lead lo all the trouble. In its present form the Bcheme means tho commercial death of any firms who have been engaged in the industry for fifty years. """■

A Farcical Market. , Never before has the ■writer had to refer to tho wool market as farcical, but that is about what obtains to-day. The entire trade has been destroyed by State control, and that is one reason for tho industry being so upset. There are still thousands of paoks of "stops that remain in tho hands of topmakers which axe svpposed to be free, 'but owing to Government restrictions they cannot be sold, no customers being forthcoming, notwithstanding thero are- many spinners who would gladly purchase if there was a free market. They can only be sold; -where a spinner has what is known as a key certificate, authorising him to purchase up to the stated amount of topff decided upon by tile committee, but as most spinners have these tops on hand they are unablo.to buy a pack more notwithstanding there are many willing to do so. The whole thing is to the trade a farce. Topmakers purchased Government-owned wool last March, and April in London, and then when that wool is combed, the market is taken from them, and the price deliberately forced down to ss. Ed. to ss. 9d„ when the same tops have cost from 6s. to 6s. 3d. per lb. That is the irony of the whole situation.