YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 98, 18 January 1918, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

GOOD WOOL USED FOR A WRONG PURPOSE (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, November 29. As the reader well knows, the entire wool position -is dominated by all mills throughout Great Britain being employed on behalf of tho Government, and no sooner is one order executed than manufacturers have simply to apply for an.other, which is forthcoming. Tho fact is significant thai, during October more orders for Government cloths were given out than during any month since the outbreak of war, and there seems to be no end to the purchasing power of the clotli spction of tho Department. No fewer than 220 firms received hosiery orders last month, while even more received orders for military cloths, flannels and blankets. It is safe to say that all mills alike have now at, least 75 per cent, of their machinery running on war fabrics, there being no firm outside Governmei:control. The bnsiness itself is huge beyond human comprehension, having assumed proportions that no one ever Mil the least conception of at the beginning. This- means that (he entire trade has been roped in in such a way that thera is no escaping Government control, beoauso whether a firm wills it or not. it has no option but to go to the Department for all its supplies. That really is the crux of the -ciole question, and naturally all alike are in the same boat. Officers' Cloths. In order to prevent officers being exploited, the Department has como to the rescue aijd made provision for standardised clothe and uniform prices throughout the entire trade. It is very significant that officers havo been left to buy clothing for themselves, so much money being allowed to each man when he received his commission, and ho had to make that do in providing his complete outfit. Of course, every officer is clothed in Superior cloths, and the suits are all tailor-made, but the Department exercises no authority over the choieo of tho officers, although they are uniformly dressed. In other words, the British authorities tlo not superintend the making of any officers cloths, this being left entirely to the manufacturers, woollen merchants, and tailors. The result was that many were "flcficed," and thn jillownnic nc| move thun paid for a respectable-turn-ont. To remedy this, or to help the offlrers, the Department. has tackled the whole problem of providing officers', cloths in a businesslike way, and to-day we'give readers particulars. which, although lwhaps a. litlle technical, nrj, cxceedinglv interesting to any party who will take the trouble to carefully investigate' them. As a matter of fact, the cloths specified below are already in process of manufacture, and the hulk' are being made in the Wost of England. I understand that the Army Contracts, Department are registering the names and addresses of tailors desirous of being supplied with these standard officers' cloths, while woollen merchants are advising their customers to register under the scheme, as they think it will soon be very difficult to get khaki cloths. The following table gives particulars of the officers' cloths, showing the manufacturers' price and what the merchants arc allowed to sell at:— !

It <*l £ 5) 2 J- I ft V ( do" I'SS No. ol hr g -st bgr cloth. po PS ,gc, PA' 1 Whipcord ... 13 /14| 58 10 6 12 6 PA 2 Serge 13J/141 58 10 J 12 0 PA 3 Barathea 13 /14 58 11 3 13 3 PA 16 Whipcord .... 15-J/16J 68 13 I) 15 3 l'A 4 Barathea 16 /17 58 11 8 13 9 PA s'Whipcord ....181/191 58 15 6 18 3 PA 6 Whipcord .... 21! /24 58 17 6 20 6 PA 7 Barathea 24 /25 53 15 6 18 0 PA 8 'Whipcord: .... 24 /25 58 16 4 19 0 PA 9 Whipcord .... 29 /JO 5B 18 0 21 0 PA 10 Cavalry twill 15 /16 30 .10 0 11 9 PA 11 Cavalry twill 12 /13 30 9 2 10 9 PA 12 Bedford cord 16 28 9 6 11 0 l'A 13 Bedford cord 13 28 8 1 96PA 14 Brit, warm fleecy 28 /29 53 16 8J 19 6 PA 15 Melton 32 58 15 10 18 6 'Woollen. In addition to above prices, 6d. per yard will be charged for half pieces, or Is. per yard extra for cut lengths. The above prices are subject to 25 per ccnt. discount if payment, is made by tho 15th of the month following, otherwise net.

Add 2d. per yard broad, lid. for narrow for shrinking. To bi> shrunk by the London process'by an authorised shrinker. If readers were given a brief description of how the above cloths are made, it would be found that practically all of them are produced from the very best merino wool. Eight of the cloths are solid worsted, while PA 9. is a whipcord made from 2-28's warp and a 13 skeins woollen weft, the rest being woollen both warp and weft. That nothing but merino is employed clearly shows that even the finest qualities of wool are- entering largely into Army requirements, in fact, there is more merino wool being used today In the production of these cloths thitn at any time since the outbreak; of war. I am not surprised at this in view of the alleged scarcity of raw material, and the way in which good combing crossbred wool has been usctl. It is a fact that considerable weights of 48'8 and 50's combme fleece wool have been distributed for tho manufacture of tartan serge, and these cloths could easily have been made from the sanio quality of wools but of clothing length. The writer ventures the opinion that In an ordinary way no manufacturer would use such high-class .material for the production of woollen wefts as has lleen given out Dy the Wool Department of the Cloth Office, and I say that good shafty pieces, necks, and even bellies are good enough when Eioourcd and dyed for the production of woollen wefts, and particularly when solid worsted garneted thread waste can also be used in the blend. There Is room here for a radical change, tor these wools should be preserved essentially for combing into tops and not be used for woollen wefts at all. The point I want to emphasise is the allround general utility of crossbred and merino wool for military purposes, and it is a. fact that tho war could never have, been conducted without the largo supplies which have come to hand from British colonies.

Trade Boom. It; is quite in order to say that trade hoonis. find there is no end to business. There are Btill small arrivals of washed Peruvian wools in Liverpool, and these (ire bains seized upon with avidity. MO bales having chanced hands during tlia past fortnight, choice examples of specially well-bred flocks making more than double the prices ohtaitied for the same marks a year ngo. I eee that 61 bales of merino from Peru have been sold at 56d. per lb., 7 bales grey merino at 50d., 5 bales at 46d„ 50 bales at 50d., and 6 bales at 28d. This shows clearly enough what wool is worth in a. free market., and if colonial or even English wools could be obtained, prices would be bifjli in the extreme. As a' matter of fact, nothing can lie bought except ttee Peruvian wools in Liverpool, and the question of supplies still remains paramount.