OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3335, 13 February 1918, Page 12

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fbom Ottb Special Cobrhspondent.) BRADFORD, November 29. GOOD WOOL USED FOR A WRONG PURPOSE. As the reader well knows," the entire wool position is dominated by all mills throughout Great Britain being employed on behalf of the Government, and no sooner is one order executed than manufacturers have simply to apply for another, which is forthcoming. The fact is significant that during October more orders for Government cloths were given out than during any month since the outbreak of war, and there seems to be no end to the purchasing power of the Cloth Section of the department. No fewer than 220 firms received hosiery orders last month, while even more received orders for military cloths, flannels, and blankets. It is safe to eay that all mills alike have now at least 75 per cent, of 'their machinery running on war fabrics, there being no firm outside Government control. The business itself is huge beyond human comprehension, the business assuming proportions that no one ever had tho least conception of at the beginning. This means that the entire trade has been roped in in such a way.that there is no escaping Government control, because, whether a firm wills it or not, it has no option_ but to go to tho department for all its supplies. . That really is the crux of the whole question, and, naturallv, all alike are in the same boat. OFFICERS' CLOTHS. In order to prevent officers being exploited, tho department has come to the rescue, and made provision for standardised cloths and uniform prices throughout tho entiro trade. It is very significant that officers have been left to buy clothing for themselves, so much money being allowed to each man when he received his commission, and he had to make that do in providing his complete outfit. Of course, every officer is clothed in superior cloths, and the suits are all tailor-made; but the department exercises no authority over tho choice of the officers, although they are uniformly dressed. What we mean is that the British authorities do not superintend the making of any officers' cloths, this beina: left entirely to tho manufacturers, woollen merchants, and tailors. Tho result was that many were "fleeced." and the allowance no more than paid for a respectable turn-out. To remedy this, or to help 'the officers, the department has tackled the whole problem of providing officers' cloths in a business-like way, and to-day wo give readers particulars, which, although a little technical, are exceedingly interesting to any party who will take tho trouble to carefully investigate them. As a matter of fact, tho cloths specified below are already in nrooess of manufacture, and th? bulk is being made in the West of England. I understand that tho Army Oon-

tracts Department is registering the names and addresses of tailors desirous of being supplied with these standard officers' cloths, while woollen merchants are-advis-ing their customers to regis'ter under the scheme, as they 'think it will soon be. very difficult to get khaki cloths. I give below particulars of the officers' clothe, showing the manufacturers' price and what the merchants are allowed to sell at:—

In addition to above prices 6d per yard will be charged for half prices, or Is per yard extra for cut lengths. The above prices are subject to per cent, discount if payment is made by the 15th of the month following, otherwise net. Add 2d per yard broad or for narrow for shrinking. To be shrunk London process by an authorised shrinker. If I had to give readers a brief description of how the above cloths are made it would bo found 'that practically all of them are produced from the very best merino wool. Eight of the cloths are solid worsted, while PA 9 is a whipcord mado from 2-28's warp and a 13 skeins woollen weft, the rest being woollen, both warp and weft. Nothing but merino being employed clearly shows that even the finest qualities of wool are entering largely into army requirements—in fact, there is more merino wool being used to-day in the production of these cloths than at any time since the outbreak of the war. We are not surprised at this in view of the alleged scarcity of raw material, and the way in which good combing crossbred wool has been used. It is a fact that considerable weights of 48's and 50's combing fleece wool have been distributed for the manufacture of tartan sorgo, and these cloths could easily have been made from the same quality of wools, but of clothing length. The writer ventures the opinion that, in an ordinary way, no manufacturer would vise such high-class material for the production of woollen wefts as has been given out by the Wool Department of the Cloth Office, and I say that good shafty pieces, necks, and even bellies are good

enough, when scoured and dyed, for the fwoduction of woollen wefts, and particuarly . when solid worsted garnetted thread waste can also be used in the blend. There is room here for a radical change, for these woole should bo preserved essentially for combing into tops, and not be used for woollen wefts at all. The point I want to emphasise is the all-round general utility of crossbred and merino wool for military purposes, and it is a fact that the war Could never have been conducted without the largo supplies which have come to hand from British colonies. TRADE BOOM. It is quite in order to say that trade booms, and there is no end to business. There _ are still small arrivals of washed Peruvian, wools in Liverpool, which are being seized upon with avidity, 300 bales having ohanged hands during the past fortCight, choice examples of specially wellred making more than double the prices obtained for the same marks a year ago. We see that 61 bales of merino from Peru have been sold at 56d per lb, seven bales grey merino 50d, five bales 46d, fO bales 50d, and six bales 28d. This shows clearly enough what wool is worth in a free market; and if colonial or even English wools could bo obtained prices would bo high in the extreme. As a matter of fact nothing can bo bought excent these Peruvian wools in Liverpool, and the question of supplies still remains paramount.

ManufacMerchants' J turers' fixed 1 sellprice. ing price. No. of Description. Weight. Width. Per yard. Per yard. cloth. Ounces. Inches. s. d. s. d. PA 1 Whipcord 13 -14 58 10 6 12 6 PA 2 Serge . 13£-14£ 58 10 3 12 0 PA 3 Barathea . 13 -14 58 11 3 13 3 PA 16 Whipcord . 154-164 58 13 0 15 3 PA 4 Barathea . 16 -17 58 11' 8 13 9 PA 5 Whipcord . 18A-194 58 15 6 18 3 PA 6 Whipoord . 23 -24 58 17 6 20 6 PA 7 Barathea. . 24 -25 58 15 6 18 0 PA S Whipcord woollen . . 24 -25 58 16 4 19 0 PA 9 Whipcord . 29 -30 58 18 0 21 0 PA 10 Cavalry twill .. . 15 -16 30 10 0 11 9 PA 11 . Cavalry twill .. . 12 -13 30 9 2 10 9 PA 12 Bedford cord •• • 16 28 9 6 11 0 PA 13 Bedford cord .. 13 ■ 28 8 1 9 6 PA 14 Brit, warm fleecy . . 28 -29 58 16 8i 19 6 PA 15 Melton 32 58 15 10 18 6