YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 250, 16 July 1919, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER

WHY PRICES HAVE ADVANCED SOME OF THE REASONS (Prom Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, May 1. Quito a sensation has been caused throughout the West liuling by tho publication towards tho 1 end of last week of an nvticlo in the "Times" on tho question of dear clothcs, That this subject comes home to everyone is obvious, men who in pre-war days were well clothed in a three-guinea suit being today charged anywhere in the neighbourhood of ten guineas for one of similar cut and quality. Many assert that they cannot buy anything of a decent nature under 12 to 15 guineas, a price which must be regarded as extravagant. The writer asserts that there is no need to pay moro than the first-named price for a really good article. For an 18oz. indigo blue serge, the manufacturer's price to-day is anywhere from 18s. to 20s. oor yard. Then there is probably a woollen merchant's and tailor's profit, and if tho cloth is going to he retailed, say, at 30s. per yard—and it takes 31 yards to make a man's suit—then a very good outfit should be mndo at 10 tp 12 guineas at the outside. However, the article named above puts tho whole of the charge for dear cloth at the door of the worsted spinner,, nnd a greater mistake was never made by anyone. _ The writer of the article displays no intimate knowledge of the inner working of the trade, what he sets forth is all based upon a wrong hypothesis. The writer has maintained for many years that only a man with n practical knowledge of the trade can write upon such a technical subject as wool textiles. Anyone who has not handled the Taw material and seen it through the different stages of manufacture is not qualified to write about it. The Statement Made. Tho "Times" correspondent says that it has been stated by an authority, nnd not denied by those concerned, thnt wool bought from tho farmer at an 'average price of Is. Od. a lb., and which can be made into yarn at about Is. a lb., is sold, in the shops at over lis. a lb., leaving a profit of about 7s. a lb. to the soinner. Ho continues:— _ A West Biding merchant, referring to this subject said: "I should like sml ™' one who knows to explain why 2-4SS worsted yarn should be 12s. od. a lb. 'since reduced to 11s. fid.), when tho Government bought the Australian wool clip at a 55 per cent, advance on prewtiv price?. In 1914 2-4-B's was spllni£ at. 3«. a lb. This shows an ndvnnco of about 300 per cent, on yarns and only about 55 per cent, on wool. Let us look at the above quotation, which' is the gist of the article Ho starts by saying that wool bought from the farmer at an average _ price of Is. 9d. Tier lb. can be made into yarn at about 4-s. It may be pointed out in reply to this statement that the wool boucht from the British farmer nt Is. 9(1. is the coarsest prortuml in JincjUinu, hens dcen 36-JAV of the Lincoln and Leicester types. Such wool is never mndo into clothing, being altogether lo coarse nnd rough in texture. If we take the Down wools nnrchnsed from the farmer at 23d. tn 24(1. per lb., these also are never made into cloth, but are used in the production of hosiery varns. nnd for Ihe wrifer in the "Times" to flav that the manipulation of English wools is "leaving a nrofit of about 7s. per lb. to the sninner" is wid« of The writer submits that if any yarn has been retailed in the cloth nt ihe rate of lis., which could be made at J*, ner lb., the spinner is not to blame. between the Government spinner and the retailer there would be nt least two profit*, namelv, the "•hole c «il<* mediant's and 'the retailor's. The writer does not know any eln c s of knitting vnrn which has been retailed ns liiMi as 12s. per lb., a nearer nrice beinf? Bs. to As. per lb. Varns retailed at 10s. to 12s. iot lb. have been nrodnced from an entirely dif. ferent clas? of wool from loiv Engli c h finalities. These varus have been made from jiwliuni and fine colonial gradno— very different wools indeed from English ports. Then, too, a very imnortant fact is completely ignored. "Where i s t.h» English spinner who has 1 been a'blfl to buv T!riti=li-grown wools at Is. -fld. per lb. during the pa s t two yenrs, the period contained about by the "Tunes" correspondent During the whole of that lime every fleece lias been bounht by tho ■Rritish Government, and if is well known that they have put unon thnt wool verv high nrices indeed. As a matter of feet, all the wool suitable for hosiery has been used for military purposes, all the varns for the civilian trad" have had to b° snun from raw materials stippled bv the Department, and for the "Times" correspondent to assert that wool has b"en miHinsed from the farmer it Is. Pd. per lb. and sold at 11s. ner lb. bv Ihe spinner is saying something which is absolutely false. Botany Yarn Prices. Wo now come to deal with the statement regarding 2-lS's yarns. Evidently the "Times" correspondent doe? not know from wlint quality this would bo snun. If would 'be produced from a Ws and 70V> quality wool, essentially the best colonial merino. We have nothing to do with this wool being bought from tho Australian grower at 55 ner cent, on nre-war prices. Here n»ain ihe tow material has been supplied bv the Department, the tops from which these yarns hav° been snnn b»injr retailed- in very limited quantities by the Govorn)i">nt at nll-roimd Gs. Bd. to (Is. Od. per lb. Is the difference between that price and, say. 12s. fid. ner 11)., ton-ranch when one or two nrofits have had to come out of the business? The writer completely ignores the fact that operatives are receiv. ins- JM ner cent, advance in wages comnarod with pre-war times. He does not tell the render that everything, including conl, nil. leather, and n. hundred nnd one things used bv mill owners, have advnnend all-round M 0 per cut. Th« "Times" correspondent says that 2-JS's v«r"s have been reduced from 12s. Gd. to 10s. fid., and lice again he does not know his trade. A-s a matter of fact, this count of ynrn has been sold i" very big quantities nt as low as 10s. 3d. per lb., due entirely to the Dennrlment lowering their issue prices for tops, but a'bove all o" augmented su.nnly of rnw materials. When ho goes on to judicata th» profits made by certain limited liability firms durincr the past two years, any man must realise thnt the firms in question hnve been running 80 per cent, of their machinerv on ftnyprnment work, nnd with a eaiital «f J!150.fl1fl, the vnt«r asks if the "Times" journnlist would be satisfied to invest his surplus cash in a concern making <£1821 on tho capital named. A Reason for the Advance. One verv important fact is overlooked by the ''Times" writer. It is the important matter of 80 per cent of machinery during tho war ncriod being engaged on Government work. Every .spinner _in the land has been running the remainder with great difficulty, often no more than 10 ner cent, being engaged on civil work. It is nluinly evident thnt with si'.ch a limited ni-oduelion on tho pnrt of all mills, nnd in the scramble for yarns and pieces, there was no alternnbut for prices to go un. A spinney lfa-s sold his whole output for tln-ee months for the civil trade at. sny, 10s. per lb. Another customer conies nlong who must have ynrn. He quotes this nuin 11s. p»r lb., with tho idea of choking him off. Nothing daunted, the customer says, "Put me on 10,000 lb." The next day a third. customer conies who must also have ynrn regardless of price. The spinner quotes this man 12s. per lb., and he. 100, puts on an order. These particulars are not exaggerated in anv way. Even to-dnv the position is such that dinners can enforce what tonus I (hey like, and manufacturers buv. Then, j again, spiuners are only onc-«ixth of a" I industry thnt makes o profit out of I clothing for the general mihlic. Nothing is laid to the charge of tho merchant, tho tailor, and the retail clothier. We sny again the cliargc will not stand close analysis. Spinners have sininlv been creatures of circumstance. Like everybody else, they have done Iheir best lo control nrices, but in view of such limiled supplies and colossnl demands, it is n wonder that values hnve not advanced still further. 1,840,800 Croix de Guerre were awarded during the wnr,