OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 158, 6 July 1917, Page 6

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

[WHAT THE GROWING ALLIES'

ARMY MEANS

[from our correspondent.!

"KHABFORD, May 3, 1917. • Events, are moving significantly, in the political world, and they, have aii interesting bearing upon the textile trade. Thotigli little is being said just now to that effect, there is undoubtedly a strong under-current of feeling which tends to support one's impression that the Allies are pursuing their course with determination. Inference was made in a previous letter to the stand taken by America, and she latest developments show that the attitude assumed is being exceedingly well maintained. The most significant fact in relation to this is r,he number of men stated as.likely to be wanted to join the fighting forces, • and it is an encouraging aspect of the situation that ex-President Roosevelt -has again offered his services as the leader of an Expeditionary Forco from the United States to France. ■Statements have been made in the newspapers to the effect that 500,C\.>1) men arc to be raised esery ax •months. This suggests.a continuation of the present struggle at least for the rest of the year, and if such large numbers of men are to be drawn upon .in the United States to join the fighting forces of the Allies,, we have a very clear indication of expanding military requirements in the way of wool. The wear and tear of soldiers' ■clothing is much greater than that of civilians * and the writer feels d;spusod to see a very close connection between the determination of the British Govrnment to conserve supplies and the prospective addition to tho Allied fighting forces in the proposal to enlist men in the United •States at the rate already named. JSveit if wool supplies are adequate to meet all immediate requirements, ifc is still emit© in harmony with the Government policy to create as large' reserves as possible now that the feelings of the remainder of the entire world have been roused against the outrageous war measures adopted by Hie Central Empires, and whatever needs may ■■arisi. now and in-the. future, .all these'Vshaald.be carefully .•safeguarded. ,;■ , During the present war crossbred;; wools have played an important part In, filling the clothing requirements «if our own and our Allies' fighting forces. There are indications at the time of writing that the quantity of this class of wool in the country will not t-umee to provide all present and prospective needs. Taking the trade as a whole it is true that there is now very little wool which can be .really described as free, but the present indications are that what remains so will be taken over to provide for Government requirements, unless it is absolutely unsuitable for that purpose. It is a most interesting fact that though crossbred wools are recognised as occupying the premier position when military requirements are being catered for, the advance in price of some of the most'suitable •qualities of this class of combed articde since tho war commenced is ■efften not as great as the advance seen in merinos. Tin's fact is exceedingly difficult to explain, but one is • disposed 'to think that merino wool could be made more use of for military manufacturing purposes than has hitherto been the case,

The scarcity of wool in this country ie recognised here as .not being immediately due to decreased-produc-tion, but to the fact that supplies are not coming forward sufficiently :rapidly. Other commodities bes'de's wool have to be brought Home, chief •among which are wheat and other foodstuffs, find those who have control of shipping _ bave a very important and serious ta.sk to perform in deciding what articles'shall receive preference 'n order to provide for the requirements of this country, and at the same time to send such goods as are most required for the prosecution of the Allies' cause. It is almost impossible to say with certainty whether food or clothing h most import-ant, particularly for our .soldiers, hut there is no do;:bt that the authorities are impressed with the need for adequate raw material for clothing fun-poses, -and there appears to be little reason why in the event of the quantity of ■crossbred wool not being adequate for requirements merinos should not be used.

ARMY REQUIREMENTS.

Aj:a.rt from the question of wool supplies pure and simple, wo have also tf; consider its manipulation, and there is no doubt that afc the present time there is need for an increased •output of combed wool and yarn for ■military purposes. Tt has been ii .somea'hni dicffiult matter to so impress upon^ every individual member ■of. tne t.radtt the importance of this problem as to bring about a practical -effect., particularly upon those who have had no immediate need from their own standpoint to spin military yarns, simply because their machinery was .occupied with other and -more lucrative business. A tremendous quantity of wool which has been combed and spun is required every week to provide for the requirements of the Army., Navy, and other Government official departments, a.nd in order to bring the output up to the standard required the authorities are asking for more machinery to be turned over for military purposes. l<irms being placed on a commission basis, -and practically being required to woik for a master, instead of being allowed to work for v themselves and make as much profit as possible, has been certainly one of the galling features from a spinner's or marni■factiiror's Doint of view. The whole policy of the. Government has, however, righsly been to concentrate its endeavors upon ihe central object of safeguarding the financial position of the country, and turning the production of all trades into such channels as are requisite for providing war requirements and bringing the struggle itself to a satisfactory termination 0 A very tight hand is still being kept

•upon nil wool commodities likely to be useful for clothing soldiers and sailors, and after that export requirements will be considered.

Ono sacrifice which spinners and manufacturers in this country are being called upon to make is to adapt their machinery to the requirements •of the hour, instead of continuing to run it on the lines for which it was most suitable^ and for which it had probably been fixed beforehand, with a,n eye to securing the most lucrative business possible.

MORE CROSSBRED TOPS

WANTED.

Even the veriest tyro knows that "bricks cannot be made without straw," which is the proverbial way of Faying that a commodity cannot; bo satisfactorily produced- without the suitable requisite from which to make it. Spinners and manufacturers cannot turn 'out the goods for which there is such .an urgent need, unless they have what to them is the raw a rtick- nocossary. An order has been issued by the Army Council under the Defence of the Realm Regulations to ihe effect that no person shall deliver any crossbred tops without a permit. I>ehv<-ry cannot bo made of these tops even if to do so is in accordance with a contract already entered into, that contract having been made before the issuing of the order. Of course this mccDMiics the effect. of the order issued on the 19th ult. prohibiting all further sales of wool, tops and "noils until permission is granted. This is a Very stringent regulation, but is entirely the outcome of tho need fora larger supply of crossbred tops ■ for military purposes. By issuing it the authorities take possession of all crossbred tops existing, and any such tops which may ho produced hereafter will automatically become the property of the War Contracts Department^ Combers have been urged to got their crossbred wool through the machines as quickly as possible in order to augment the supplies, and thus I-rep:ire the way for spinners being

better supplied with the necessary quantity of the required class of tops.

b' dITHEU DEVEiLOPMENTS PEN-DING.

From wha\ we have said, the reader will clearly see what is the position of the wool trade to-day. There is to be this week-end another very important meeting of the General Advisory Committee, and everybody is •prepared for further drastic control. We understand that there is available for sale in London about 25,000 bates of free merinos and this will be the last lot of wool owned privately. The Advisory Committee will decide whether any more London sales will be hold and whether this privately ovned wool will be absorbed by the Department at current values. "That will depend entirely upon what the recent census of stocks reveals, and what.wool is in the hands of the Government Oi course trade during the past fortnight has been entirely stopped, there are no dealings in wool, tops or I'oils, and crossbred tops on contract have all been commandeered. Nothing can be sold to-day except wastes, namely the bye products of the trade, and these and probably mungoes and shoddies will also be taken over before long. The reader will therefore see that the limit has almost been reached, and no doubt' with America, joining the Allies, still more serious problems have been created which will have to be decided by th.s? War Office. All private trade has now come to a standstill, and it is wonderful how the interests of the trade are all bending towards saWsfvmg the military needs of the Government and those of our Allies. There now remains only the Gape clip outside the ban of the Department, and many feel that it is high time the whole of the South African clip fared similai-ly to those of Australia and New Zealand, but apparently the Government does not want to get up against t.ho Dutch' element, and after all the Cape merino clip is hardly of so robust a nature as that of Australasia, and is therefore less suitable for military needs. At the same time Oape merinos will do admirably for making shirtings and flannels, "which are wanted in colossal quantities "for the army and navy.