YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 96, 16 January 1918, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER

IMMEDIATE WOOL SUPPLIES ADEQUATE

SHIPPING PROBLEM GRAVE

(Prom Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, November 15. There are still many problems connected with State control which are engaging very serious attention, and they all havea direct bearing upon tho immediate future of the wool textile industry. A good deal has been heard this last fortnight about standard cloths, the last official report of tho meoting of the Bo3rd of Control stating clearly that the Department was hoping to put upon the market a good wearable cloth [or men's wear nt 6s. per yard, which would produce a suit at 505., one for young boys at 225. 6d., for older boys 305., and for youths 40s. The idea is a worthy one, and the Director of Wool Textile Production is to bo j complinionted on the effort he is making I for the provision of good cloth.* for tho j million. The intimation was also conveyed that shoddy is not to be used in the composition of this cloth, and in all probauility it will l'« found '■> cost nearer f>. 3d. per yard than 6s. Of course, it will be an all-woollen fabric, weighing about ZOoz., 56 inches wide. It may be asked, How can this be done? The reader well knows that every fleece is not uniform in quality and condition throughout, and that every sheep produces a certain proportion of second and third-rate wool known in the trade as pieces, bellios, and locks. Now thtae descriptions of wool are very good, and serve an eioellent purpose, 'i'he staple is often too ehort for combing, unless it be shafty picas, and these "off-sorts" are all taken by woollen manufacturers, and when scoured, dyed, and blended they produce an excellent woollen fabric. Now the Department has on hand a big quantity of these off sorts, and with all mills now working 70 to 8D per cent, of their machinery on railii'&rr fabrics, consumotioh of -hose for civilian cloths is no: what many rcould like It to be. It is novt proposed to uee theEe In making civilian cK?K and with a judicious blending of noils and wastes some excellent fabrics can be turned out. The great thing that the Department will strive against is uniformity. At the present time a nice grey tvrecd has-been produced in several shades, and with the introduction of a little variation in pat. tern, and the same yarns being used some excellent clnhs can be put upon the market at a reasonable price. O( course', the idea of producing standard cloths has naturally met with a mixed reception, many people thinking that it Is altogether unnecessary, it being a fact that even to-day there are Dewsbury and Huddcrsheld manufacturers producing nlie stylish tweeds at ss. 6d. Of course, them cannot be the suteiancc and vfnariim capacity about these that there will lie about standard cloths, and t'lercfore the thing is certain to go through

A Shortage of Combing Wools'. . The trade has been adviecd this last ortmght .that there is at present somewhat of a shoitagc- m combing wools; at least there baa been a persistent cry among combos ami eninueri who are finding It _ to bo increasing ye .cult _ to obtain sufficient to satisfy their requirements At the . moment* there seem to be far more clothing woole than combing, and yet the represent™ ves of lj atate that there h at the moment no actual sho.-ta.To thou E h the quantity of 800 l at sea and arriving is not as large as they would like to see. This is io be regretted, because consumption to-dav is colossal, no man Hying being able to Comprehend the iveifln of w " O ol . which ia boinc shifted, and which is being taken for the produiition of military fabrics by tireat Britain niul her Allies. Tho Department ia sthUing taost lenaciousiv to its stocliß of merino tops, and those e\cn with sub-certificates granted by the Hationmg Comm.Uee are unable to extract irom the Department tops to satisfy their requirements. Evidently there is a temporary squeeze. Many are of the opinion that the Department is adopting, these luetics iu order to force topmakers who f ve n tUl <i»r,rying privately-owned stock, to sell. What blocks the way is an order preventing them selling at more than ss. 9d. per lb.. when many topmakern ha* bid 6s. to 6s. 2d. per lb. It is well known that some arc finding ways and means of .-Piling at the latter prices, and no doubt on December 1 the Department will automatically acquire all privately-owned stocks

of tops. There are some who think that prices have not reached the maximum, and even profiteering has been mentioned in many quartern In regard to State-con-trolled wool and tope. However, tho Shipping Controller knows full well what, is the position of affairs, but in face of the tremendous amount of lost shipping, the freight question is becoming increasingly difficult. The South African Clip. Keuler sent a cablegram last week alaling that tho Union Government had received offers from farmers aitjountinß to 167,870 bales, and they were prepared to sell this weight of wool to the Imperial Government on the terms granted Australian and New Zealand woolgrowerfl. Tins represents three-olghths of the clip, mid the response is regarded in Bradford wool circles as poor. In fact, there need be no secret made of the circumstance, many people on this, tide expressing a cert;:rn amount cf e.Uia/action that there still remains a partially free market, but a* regards B'mliord topmakcrs operating, it is now altogether out of the question. It is well known that America and Japan must provide their own shipping, everything indicates still higher freights, but thn fact of five-eighths of tho farmers of South Uricn dociding to run tho gauntlet nhoivß clearly enough that there \t> a lack of unanimity among growers at the Oape. It is conceded that no privatelyowned wool will now be shipped to togland, and that all the freight will be used in bringing home the wool imrchasert by the Imperial Government. It is very lntoreeting to note that exports from theUnion of South Africa to the United States for the year ended December 31, 1516, were 2,916,3351b. of scoured ivool and 39.903,4571b. of. greasy wool. The houth African clij aggregates about 500,000 bales. Export Problems. Quite an agitation is proceeding in West Hiding circles over «, proposal made by Mr. T. H. Jonea, chairman of the War Trade Department, eoine months ago. The whole question was discussed on two separate nights by the Bradford 'lextile Society, tho subject \\m received free ventilation in the Press, and a good deal of interest has naturally been aroused in the proposal. Briefly, it Iβ that au attempt should be made to form a syndicate, comprising leading manufacturer in all branches of the textile trade. A big combine should also be formulated with capital running into, say. a, mil ion sterling, though both larger and Mailer sums than that arc mentioned. The idea is that there should bo a combination of all branches of the wool textile industry who should develop tho markets ot the world. Several point to Germany's success._ in foreign markets teing due to organisation, and the working of an export trade in this way. Saturally anionc the export houses of Bradford strong feelings of opposition ajc shown, and the idea, of si combine or monopoly is not meeting with universal favour. Tho creation ot s-.-.c.i a scheme would place, say, halt a dozen men at the top, aud there would be. very little room for # pushing, enterprising little manufacturing firm, or for thnt matter a big firm cither. It would mean doins away with individual initiative, enterprise, and enthusiasm, and so far the record of combination in the British textile industry lias not been attended with a great aiuonnt of success except in the case of the Bradford Dyere' Aaeoeiation. Some o&Uu export houses of Bradford are very lugKly organised, and, they have nfayed a very important, part in develop, me Great Britain's ovorsone trade, while a large number of manufacturers have even-thing is in the talkinir stage, but trade after the war is a problem that is receiving a good deal of attention.