OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 9

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

(Fbou Oxte Special Cobkespondent.) BRADFORD, January 6. WOOL OR SHODDY?

EXTRAORDINARY CHEAPNESS IN

TWEEDS.

The cheapness of certain lines of so-called */col suiting's is to many a marveJ. I was shown this week by a woollen merchant several sets of samples being largely consumed by the wholesale clothiers' of this country, and I was dumbfounded at what I saw. Line upon line of fancy woollens at from 15d to 2a per yard, 240z, 54-in, and the colours and designs were splendid. To anyone not conversant with cloths, the 2s could easily be- palmed off as fancy Scotch tweeds, as- in appearance they resembled them to a nicety.-" But how are they made? I unravelled several patterns, and found the yarns were most ingeniously put together. Of course, a good many cloths consisted of medium twist spotted, this all coming to the face. These twist threads were splendidly arranged, and being nicely covered in finishing, none "but a real expert could perceive the constituent— elements of the yarns. Analysed, they showed that, twisted round a very soft black or dark shade of •woollen yarn, composed mostly of mungo and cotton, was a light or fancy-coloured cotton thread, very soft twined; then, to strengthen these two, a very small black cotton" thread had been twisted along with 'the other two.

This line of treatment in the production of fancy woollens seems to have reached a very advanced 1 stage up in the Colno Valley and round Huddersfield, and the •way these cloths are got up and finished is indeed very -.sxnari. By the way, lam authoritatively • told that these goods are not milled, hut taken straight away from the scouring machine to the burling board, and then finished. To mill them would only cause the cotton to get heated and the colours to '"bleed," so, to avoid this, the ■weight is obtained in the loom, and the pieces stiffened and starched in finishing.

— A Pair of, "Britches."-

Such fabrics as the above place in the hands of our wholesale clothiers a mighty power of being able to turn out some cheap garments. A pair of ■"britches," as a typical Yorkshireman calls them, can be bought retail at 5s lid per pair, while to give 8s lid you can get what is called a "champion." Several large Leeds wholesale olothiers have made a great hit with their special lines in youths' suits and boys' Rugby suits at 6s lid and 5s 3d respectively. But their composition is such that in a month's time they are as grey as a badger and as distasteful as a green old hat. But what can you expect when they are made out of serges at from 9d to 13d per yard, 54in. But you ask how are such suits as these put together? Let me here reveal a daily trick in connection with the Leeds •wJiolesale clothing trade, Any day in the week, save Saturday and Sunday, you go to the vicinity of the clothing trade. "What is this woman going to do wo see coming up the street with two dozen pairs of trouser^ thrown over her shoulders? Where- is she taking them to?" Ask her, and she will' quietly tell you that she has been to Messrs So-and-so's to see '•what they could give her to-day, and they have handed her these two dozen pairs of knickers to make up at home. "To make up at home I" you exclaim in utter astonishment "Yes, io make up at home." This woman before us at one time probably worked for this firm, but she is now married, and 1 , having a young family, it prevents her going to the factoi-y as shs once did.

So she is allowed to take home anything they have, and her spare moments — or at least she knows she must make some, or sit up at nights — she is to be found Pitching away to "addle" a. few shillings to help out her home's demands. Every week thousands of garments are thus made up in homes down in alleys and courts, while Jews are to he seen with a pony and cart carrying to some- hovel a few hundred suits to he stitched by their own fraternity. Of course, the garments are all cut out ibefore they are sent out, and the restrictions as to the clean ord-er in which they ar© to be returned, and the time, aresevere indeed. Thus wool growers have a word picture put before them of how a section of the clothing ti-aclc is done, which, to my thinking, is in no sense creditable.

—Fall of Port Arthur and Its Effect on the Wool Market.—

The news of the fall of Port Arthur ha? set busy tongues at work, and on every Jisntl the question is being asked. "How r/ill it affect wool market*?" Although Port Arthur has fallen, still the war has scot finished, and a more important que3tion to tho wool trade is the ultimate ■throwing up of the sponge by Russia. There is no doubt that" the Eastern war has influenced very materially the wool markets of the world, crossbreds especially feeling the impetus of large Japanese war orders, .■while Germany, too. lias reaped some benefit at the hands of Bus.:ia. There are some

in Bradford who seem to think that directly the war finish j.s we may count upon kn.v ciossbreds tumbling by pennies, w hie nruiy fail to oee, unless men become pavrcstricken, how erossbrods can l<i!l materially from their present unique and almo-t impregnable position. The action of Russia ni the near future is bound to influence ono way or the other the future course of % a'ues. but for the present I fail to see how values for any quality of wool can fall. The com plete- absence of all stocks is a factor whir-h carnot be talked away ; it's a matter that confronts not one or two, but everybody , and, turn which way we will, the cry is met with, "We have no wool !"' The supply of crossbreds cannot be materially iiugmented till March, and I fail tv sco where any relief can come owing to ths fact that manufacturers having war orders in hand aic filled up for many months to come.

Naturally, markets have been interfered with during the past week by holidays, but for all that btisiness has been done at fullup retes, and so far holders will only sell at top prices. A steady and confide.it feeling • prevails, it being already a foregone conclusion that crossbreds will be up again in London a fortnight hence. Men want the stuffy and although the present trade is in some quarters less than usual, still consumption can deal readily with supplies, consequently raw material can bo easily sold to-day "at full market rates. Merinos are firm, with a super 60's top worth 24£ d. Yarn spinners are not over busy, and r,euld do with a new complement of orders. English wools are very scarce and dear, 13d having been made for Irish hogs, and the same price is freely talked of for Lincoln*. Mohair is firm at late rates.