OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 12

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fbom Otts Spboial Cobeesfondknt.) BRADFORD, December 6. WOOL WASTES AND THEIR . USES. The event of the past week has been the issuing of a revised list of waste prices, *nd there has never been a time in the history of the textile trade of the country when so much was being made of the byproducts of the trade. This biisiness has always been large and important, but it pae been done in a quiet way, chiefly duo to tho fact that it has not been standardised in the same way as tops &nd yarns. Tho writer niade an attempt some two or thref> years ago "to standardise noils, laps, aiid wastes. I remember well the opposition with which I was faced, and how I was met on all hands with one verdict " Impossible 1" After a little perseverance a standard list was obtained, which oame/to bo recognised in the trade, my ■weekly quotations for noils, laps,' and "Wastes being regarded as fairly reliable. As n matter of fact, the quotations that :fche writer gave weekly during tho month Of March formed the basis for the Waste Department of the Government in, arranging and fixing its first schedule of values, and in the new schedule published this ,wcek it has been extended. Of course, it did not suit many waste dealers to have current values for by-products published,

because it let spinners and hosiery firms know their actual value. But that did not matter. Every farst producer is entitled to know the market value: of a commodity as much as the dealer who sells, and, so long as the principle is right, the writer always pursues that course. SOME BIG ADVANCES. A careful examination of the tables given below will well repay the reader. It will show at once how the by-products of the wool trade have become specialised, and how the different qualities are dealt with. There is wisdom in this, because any ordinary reader oan- see the folly of mixing, say, coarse ' crossbred with merino. This would in no sense facilitate consumption, while it would mean disaster -in the finished piece. The reason the rank-and-file of society are able to put on their backs a suit of clothes or a costume uniform inequality is entirely due to the careful classing and sorting in the first instance, and, if this 'is done right at the beginning, it will be right in the finished fabric. In the first table I deal with laps. These are short-lengths of tops, and can either be recombed or used in the woollen trade. Laps are indeed a very valuable commodity, and below I give a table showing what was the Government price in the first list published and the new list which came into operation on December 1: Old New Government Government price. Price.

WHAT IS THREAD WASTE? The question is well worth discussing as to what spinners' hard waste is. If tho average reader is not versed in tho technicalities of the textile trade, let him take a bobbin of ordinary sewing cotton and break it into short lengths, throw them together, then ho will havo a very clear idea of what hard waste is. It is simply shev't lengths of worsted yarn, made by tho piecers during tho spinning operation. When a thread or yarn breaks it has' ; to bo pieced, a little thread always being wasted in the operation. These are collected by the operatives, sold, and then sorted by tho dealers into tho differeut

nudities. These thread wastes, are then u-.iken and H-arnetted—that is, opened out, and made just as free and open as scoured wool. They are all used by the woollen trade, and are fetching a big price i,o-day. The following aro the old and new lists of values for spinners' hard waste: Old New

INCREASED USE O,F BY-PRO-DUCTS. It was never thought that the waste trade would - be controlled, but circumstances have made it absolutely essential. The prime reason is that the by-products of the trade are being called into use more and more for military fabrics, and as all the various wastes are being made from Government-owned tops it was natural for them to be controlled. In order to save virgin wool, increasing quantities are being used in the production of military fabrics, chiefly drab and tartan serge. I have before explained that these are made from worsted warp and woollen weft, and all these wastes can be used in addition by the woollen manufacturer. Really speaking these wastes are as good for this purpose as pure wool —in fact, they are pure wool, and have in no sense lost their manufacturing properties by having gone through the machines once. If we take the woollen wefts which are being made to-day the blend approximates to the fol- % lowing:—so per cent, of virgin wool, 20 per cent, wastes, 30 per cent, khaki mixture mungo. This blend makes excellent wefts, and when the same is woven in the piece, milled, and finished, the resultant military fabric is exceedingly sound and well made. With the huge quantity of military fabrics which is being made there is naturally an exceedingly big demand for wastes; consequently stocks do not exist, and with the lessened production of civilian yarns everything indicates a correspondingly smaller production of the by-products of the trade.

Every member of the family should drink KOLA-NIP. It adds vim and vigour to the constitution. Snappy—delicious—wholesome. Buy a bottle to-day. Hotels and stores.

d. d. 36's and 40'a laps— White . 28 80 Khaki . 30 • . 82 Mixed colours .. . 27 29 Below SB's . 23 26 44's and 46's laps— White , . 30 34 . 32 86 Mixed colours .. . 28 32 48's and 50's laps— White .. -.. . . 83 40 . 35 42 Mixed colours .. . 31 ■ 38 54's laps— White .30 . 46 . 41 48 Mixed colours .. . 37 . 44 56'e laps— White . 48 61 . 50 53 Mixed colours .. . 46 49 58's laps— . 52 53 Khaki . 54 60 Mixed colours .. . . 50 56 60's to 64' B— White . 62 66 Khaki . 64 68 Mixed colours .. ; . . 58 62 70'e to 80' s— . 64 72 . 66 74 Mixed colours .. . 61 69

Government Government price. price. d. d. 86's and 40's hard waste- _ White 22 24 Khaki .. 24 26 Military shades 22 24 Mixed colours .. 21 23 18 20 44's and 46's hard waste- . / White 24 27 Khaki .. .. .. .. 26 29 Military shades 24 27 Mixed colours .. 22 25 48's and 50's hard waste- - White .. 26 31 Khaki 28 33 Military shades 26 31 Mixed colours .. 24 29 66's. hard waste — White .. .; .. .. 30 35 Khaki .. .. -.-. .. 32 37 Military shades 30 35 Mixed colours .. 28 33 68's hard waste— White 32 37 Khaki 34 89 Military shades 82 87 Mixed colours .. 80 85 60's to 64's hard waste— White 35 39 Khaki 37 41 Military shades . 35 89 Mixed colours .. 30 37