PAPER CLOTHES THAT WASH

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 179, 24 April 1919, Page 5

PAPER CLOTHES THAT WASH

COTTON FROM NETTLES. . Some of Germany's successful, war-timo hunts for essential domestic articles aro described in information obtained by tho Government and published by ,tlm War Trado Intelligence Department (1 Lake Buildings, St. James's l'avk, S.W., 1). The document also throws somo light on some of our enemy's preparations for s dumping cheap and fraudulent goods on us ufter the war. Home of tho substitutes which survived the hard test of practical use were:— Ikola and clothes brushes with woodfibre bristled. Wood ashes as a substitute for soap. Burnt to a white colour, tluiy removed grease, perspiration, and dirt from cloth-, inif .and tho skin. About 1J pints of ashes are added to betweon 3 and <1 gallons of warm water and stirred till well mixed. The nettle industry is supposed to have tho best prospects of those sprung from the war. Nettle products furnish a perfect substitute for cotton. From noltle fibre tho simplest o[ the latest of.cotton articles are mado. Mackintoshes' are inade from paper yarn; also overalls, table cloths, curtains, luMiflkerchifli's, collars, embroidered blouses, and imitation Persinn carpets. One firm also made a complete set of horse's harness. To convince the public that paper articles could be washed, one firm set up ■a. section where such thing? were publiclv washed and boiled. A stocking after several washings was softer and thicker than when new.

Quince stones left in water >"or twentyfour hours produced a thick oil resembling castor. ■ "Very eood" coffee is made from beetroot parings. ' "Tea" is made from dried blackberry leaves. • • ■ Cookine oil is ;nade from the fruits and seeds of fruit trees; also from walnuts, hazel and beech nuts, tmctv from tilt/ seeds of conifers and of weeds. Coke fragments are made into' briduettes by mixing with, hard pitch or tar pitch. All through tho war, as material and labour could bo spared, work has continued on the Hninburg-Amerika 52,000ton liner Bismarck, launched in .Tune, 19H. ami liow "she is almost ready for post-bellum trade." One German firm is stated to have continued :nakinir bicycle parts jn"> accordance with a British standard pattern and stamping them with thn trade mark and letters "8.5.A." (British Small Arms). As tho parts we finished they were all-packed in cases and dispatched tii Amsterdam.' The Government intonner was told that "these B.S.A. parts wore for the English market." In December, 1917. another informant was told by a Baden jeweller that he was seiidini? a considerable amount of cheap jewellery to- Switzerland, whence it was exnorted to America and En"land