GERMAN DEMAND FOR WOOL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 70, 24 March 1915, Page 4

GERMAN DEMAND FOR WOOL

COLLECTING EVERY SHRED. By making wool absolute contraband Britain has struck a severe economic blow at Germa-ny. | The people of Germany, says a Rotterdam correspondent of the Daily Express, are collecting every rag that contains wool with a care and completeness truly Teutonic. For the sake of euphony Berlin is calling it a wool week. "Under this guise every rag, every old suit, old ' curtain, carpet, flannel petticoat, and even discarded upholstery, has been raked into depots, there to undergo rejuvenation into clothing and warm comforts for the troops. The old suits that formerly graced the Wilhelmstrasse and Unter den Linden, are being brushed and patched and made into clothing for the troops. Old trousers are being shortened, and jackets made sleeveless, for wear under the uniforms of the soldiers. Coats become vests, and old trousers pants, till come of the men when in full rig will resem- v ble a. tramp turn ori an English music hall. Patcinvork blankets or quilts are being made out of Gretchen's leJt-off petticoats, and the odd pieces, such as dippings, are being shredded fox remanu lacture into " new " clothes. Thousands of 'women and children -have been put on the work of collection and sorting; depots have been opened in all the big towns, and large numbers of patriotic women are busily remaking the old garments into new. The only complaint is that the people are giving too freely, and tile workers are in'*danger of being overwhelmed by a -pei'fect avalanche of old clothes. In one depot alone 160 " new " garments are turned out daily, and the workers cannot keep pace with the arriving lumber. The Magistrates College set the example by sending in 380 old curtains ; while in order to conserve exis-ting stocks of new wool, the employees on the State railways have been informed that they will have to make their uniforms last longer than the regulation period. Their other articles of clothing made partly from wool will be made of " cotton velvet." Some of the people are inclined to look upon this a£ a sort of glorified fun. But there is much behind it. Germany since its development into an industrial country allowed its own production of wool in 1912 to be reduced roughly to ' one-sixth of what' it was in 1860. Thus practically her whole supply is imported. It is almost certain that whilst Germany was collecting huge stocks of other goods m secret preparation for the war. I wool also received due attention. Thus j there seems to be no immediate dearth of wool. It is all the more interesting, I i therefore, to observe the effect of this thoroughly well-drilled nation throwing 1 every effort into utilising every avail- ' able shred of old ' material in order to conserve stocks that may not last for the long period over which even Germany now fears the war will be waged. ,