YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 278, 13 August 1918, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

WHY STANDARD CLOTHS ARE BEING MADE (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, Juno 0. The trade has been advised that ail exhibition of standard suits will bo opened hero in Bradford next Tuesday, the Department having decided to show at the Bradford Technical Coliego what it is doing by way of providing the general public with good, soitud. wearable cloth at 575; (id. per suit, it is generally stated that something liko 31 different designs have been made chiefly by West Hiding manufacturers, and on and iftur Juno In the general public will bo able to purehaso tiieiu in tlio shous. lu addition, by next .September standard blankets will b"e on sale, the prices rangine all the way from litis, id. to tils. sd. per pair. Then, too, this summer, standard hosiery will be made, the Department evidently going the whole hog, und intends to prove to the outside world that tho State is quite competent to manufacture everything wanted by the general populace, and in that way turn, to the best possible good both the British and colonial clips. As n war measure this is satisfactory, but it is not without its ill effects upon general trade, and if operations of this kind are to continue indefinitely tiie writer does not hesilate to say tiiat the death knell of Great Britain's supremacy as a textile manufacturing country has. been sounded, bocause these methods will never bo successful ill facing the "world's competition vhen the war is over, flowever, we have tile authority ol such men rs Mr. Andrew Weir and Sir Arthur Goldfinch, as well as the President of the Board of Trade, who all assert that trade will be allowed as soon as possible after the war to be carried on as before. These promises being made, tho practical men of the industrv are prepared to carry on until the happy time comes when the war is a thing of tho past. Reason for Standard Goods. ■Seeing that standard articles of wear occupy such a prominent position in the textile world oi to-day, it is worth asking, why this should bo necessary? Tho only reply is that it is part it the economy oi the conditions which have been forced upon Great Britain by tho titanic struggle that is proceeding. One need not bo surprised Jf similar (onditions aro iorcod upon tho United States, France, and Italy, becauso L'tate control now obtains in the countries named. As a war measure the production of standard fabrics can bo justified, and there are two reasons for the complete outfit of men being- made L-y tho liovernnient. Firsts tho Department is the rightful owner of tho British and colonial clips; second, the Department is in a position to get standard fabrics made at less money than identical cloths would cost if the yarn for them was purchased in the open market, md dm manufacturers could likewise sell at the best prices wlucii competition brought forth. State control lias to-day been so evolved that everything wanted by tho Army is being produced on fixed conversion charges, tho Statu assimilating all piofils. What raw material has been left free to be used foi the civilian trade has naturally been exploited for all it is worth, the result being that spinners ami manufacturers have made more profit than many think they ha ve been entitled to. At a time when there is no need to seek work, and when every firm can easily sell jthoir entire output at big profits, sll those owning machinery have naturally made more tliaii would ba considered reasonable in pre-war days, In. t spinners particularly seem to have used their opportunity well. In order to counteract this the Department has wisely decided to use a portion of Stale-owned wool for the purpose of putting on tho market good wholesale fabrics, underwear, and blankets at a less price than similar goods wouUl be made by manufacturers.

Using .Short Wools. A very important feature to remember in connection with standard goods is tho use which the Department is making of short clothing wools. So far only woollen tweeds have been made, 1 hough standard worsted serges will be put upon the market at no distant date. By way of a beginning Sir Charles Sykcs, Director of Wool Textile Production, has embarked upon the production of Huddersfield tweeds, a class of goods which he has been familiar u-ith all his life. Repeatedly tho writer lias emphasised tho big quantity of clothing wools which is in the country, and this class of material being of jio use for combing and spinning into worsted yarns, the problems presented ilself_wh.it to do with the big weight of clothing stock. It could easily have been sold in a free market to woollen manufacturers, and they could have made an abundance of gnod woollen fabrics. Of course, it would have provided them with tho opportunity of making still bigger profits, but the Department decided that they would use a big weight of this wool by making standard woollen tweels. The writer is not altogether certain as to the blend, but thinks it is 50 or GO per cent, of virgin wool. 30 per cent, of nuils, and 10 per cent, of cotton or inungo. However, the particulars of llic biend are approximately correct, aud any practical man knows that such a blend will produce a iirst-class wearing fabric. There have been millions of pieces made m llnddeisfield during tho past 25 years, either without wool or containing no more than 10 to 25 per cent., the balance being the by-products of the 'rade ami largely- mtingo and cotton. Some very smart tweeds used to be turned out by lliuhlerslield manufacturers, particularly in the Colne Valley, at Is. lid. to 2s. (id. per yard, broad width, hence for those same manufacturers to make fancy tweeds for the Department containing 00 per cent, of pure wool is not only a new experience, but provides the opportunity of turning out souio very good cloths, which is the case to-day. Clothing Wools.

This raises the question of clothing wools, ami although tlie writer has writtan about it quite, recently, yet their importance as raw material ■ for the manjfacturing world cannot be overstated. From every shorn fleece there ia always a portion of faulty pieces, bellies and locks, and it is the use of these.in the production of standard cloths where an outlet is being found for them. It is really surprising how good a. fabric merino locks will produce when clean scoured. Crossbred locks no doubt wiil produce a somewhat looser-made fabric, but when the pieces are milled the resultant cloth is bound to be good, and when the fabrics aro seen by tho general public they will call forth approval. One foresees that being mostly of a crossbred nature, when the surface of the cloth lias been worn off by constant friction a suit may appear "bald," but for all that for (he ordinary commercial man and citizen they will be a very good substitute, and anyone wearing them will be dressed respectably. 'tV'o are living in days when the "bits and bats" of the trade are being used as never before. No man to-day can afford to despise the "odds and ends" because rightly used, and blended with something a little bit better, even though the proportion may not be very largo, the resultaut fabric is hound to be good. All standard fabrics are having to bo made on conversion costs, therefore whatever profit is made it will bo absorbed by the Department, and in that way will contribute to making State control a paying proposition. Several firms in the wool trade aro sorting these oil-sorts, and when they have been properly prepared for market, they will be able to- get out of tho locks, pieces, and bellies the maximum good. Up to quite recently English (laggings were a free article, but tho Department lias slopped the free Sale and use of these. They are being sorted and cleaned, and then used along with other wools in the production of standard cloths, hence the reader will seo that nothing is being nllowetl to go by without being turned to real good account.