YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 121, 15 February 1919, Page 12

YORKSHIRE LETTER

LAPS AND WASTES SET FREE. (From Our'Speoiai Correspondent.) > : Deceinbct- 19, '1918.. : , The secretary;.'rto - the.'-'War Office"announced last week-end that part' 4 of the Woollen and Worsted Order. 1917, relating Jo dealings in. laps- and. wastes was cancelled. In other words','laps-and wastes are now free,.'th'ejl)epartment. having no further use for them.'-T'This .clearly nhows tli&t the.' qesaifidii'.ijfjthio plac-: ing; of new;':military order's is cohiing, but'the condition .added "that it is the. duty /of all persons to'make or take delivery, as the case may be, of any. laps or waste referred .'to in any permit already issued by. or on behalf of the Director/of Wool Textile Production/' ThisVineans that those.firms who have made" contracts with' manufacturers /for the :deliyery of these classes of raw material will be expected to deliver same, the right.thing to do. This is one more evidence that the Department is desirous of. getting rid of State control with all possible speed; and it is natural to oxpect'the Government to 1 release materials they iiio longer-need. The trade would, have'been very ;glad'indeed if noils had also been released,-;btit that is hardly likelyTho fact'is,-business is still large in noils, a big weight being turned over. ,on ; Government accbunt. Noils have; been exported by the Department to France, Italy :and Canada, while big weights have also been used in the production of flannels and shirtings. So longjvas these;'are .'.wanted for military purposes, it is only right that they should be controlled, ahd;dt is hardly likely that noils will be released until wool supplies become larger.

What Are Laps? A very big subject opens out when one looks.-at laps and.wastes,. aud it is worth while; asking vwhat they are. In all processes.-vOL manufacture a • certain amcrunt'of wasto takes place. Take even wool-growing. At every shearing shed there ls'.always a certain amount of refuse attached to the fleece in the shape of dung locks, and often a good deal of seed and other dirt.: This is all "waste" ' which has a market value, and can be used for. certain textile manufacturing purposes. Laps. and wastes are' by-pro-ducts of the wool-industry, and figure prominently in the trade. Let no one look with disparaging, eyes upon either laps or waste, for they are "all wool." These have simply passed through certain processes of manufacture, and are still exceedingly useful. • Take laps. These are simply-bits'broken off balls of tops by topmakersj but moro particularly by spinners. Laps are very valuable.and are usually the. best of combed wool, and>may measure in length anywhere from a.foot to. a yard* Spinners mostly make these, when they begin spinning. Although they are exceedingly useful for. the woollen trade, and when they have been broken still more, , can . he readily used; in fact, some firms pre-fer-laps before wool out of the bale.. Laps &ro made in all oualities, anywhere from 32's to 90's, and are usualiy sold as straight bulk lots because they are uniform in quality. Considerable trade ■ has been done this last two years with Italy m laps. The market has been continuously out, because the laps were wanted both by British and allied manufacturers for the. production of ■khaki fabrics. Manufacturers know that laps usually givo strength to the fabric, and, therefore, are much appreciated.

Wastes. These include a much larger variety of manufacturing materials. They may be divided into three classes—spinning weaving and ordinary wastes. These come from wool which has gone through ar-other stage in manufacture, there being roving wastes, spinners' thread waste, weaving waste; ohiofly' composed' of short ends, and hosiery waste, made as theTarns are being knitted into • garments. Spinners thread waste consists of hard twisted threads, these also being- sorted I . nto , Y?™ u ' 3 - standard qualities. It is impossible to j-e-use thread waste in the form in which it comes from the frames, I but after being passed through a garnetting machine it pwsants a very different appearance, .thread being separated from thread. • When ■ this has been ac-: complished it can bo reblended and stm'n into a yarn ready for the loom. The point to emphasise is that nothing is last. No matter ivMicther it bo laps, wastes, or even rags, tailors' clippings, or oW, cast-oft suits, when th'eso have been pulled*freo together they can all bo used over again in the production' of sound materials. It would indeed be a surprise' to the average reader to see the gigantic business done in wnstes and the very, useful purpose which 'they serve. : South African , Wools, I A cablegram sent by lieuter's Ageiicv! from South Africa regarding the disposal; of the South African' clip to the Imperial Government is exactly what; wo expected. Wo knew it would be impossible for tho British Government to offer any better terms than have been ar-. ranged with Australian and New- Zealand growers, because .they could not possibly deviate therefrom. However, the Imperial Government has renewed its offer, ■but reserves the-right to withdraw from the purchase altogether should the (juantity required for sale amount to less than 230,000 bales.. The time lias been extended to December'3l,-'indicating clearly enough that tho Imperial authorities are having to "nurse"'South African growers a good deal. We are not in the least surprised at what lias taken place. There is a rebellious element scattered throughout the whole of South Africa, irrowers whose sympathy with Great Britain is far from, beirft vhat it ought to he. /These growers tasted last, year of tho sweets of an open market, selling their wool at 3d. to .4d..per lb.,above.the Government purchase price—in some', cases even more. "Naturally., those producing Hie lightest .and best wools .have- preferred all along"a frep and onen market, 1 and still desire to do so. Tho Union Government will probably have offered at least 200.000 bales—probablv more— because farmers must realise that rexent bifh values eannot. ,, flossil.fly\continhe' itv d»fi«itclv in view of the larger-quantity of shipping to bring home the Australian clip.- . Will America Buy? What seems to concern the trade at this end to-day ,is. the attitude of' American, ■firm!-towards"'tho South African clip. JThe trade knows nothing whatever as to

what our Department is doing or intends to do. The entire industry lias been kept in absolute ignorance of the GoVfcrtiincut's move in regard to South America and South Africa. With tho war ending things no', doubt have changed very materially, and it looks as if a concentrated effort has '.been' ninde by both London and Washington, to get values down, at tho Capo,.and Bttenos'Airej. -.The trade at this end'certainly favours'a resumption of business at both centres as .soon as uosible, and what we want _ to fiae is morn freight available. If "Washington dtcides again't.j allow free importation of wool, our Wav.Office will b'o influenced, and. certainly there is much to be shid for a resumption, of buying both for England and America as' soon as possible. Japan is ■reported to be buying the best grease combing Capes, in South Africa, paying as high values as: ever. ■