OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3383, 15 January 1919, Page 11

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, October 31. SOME OF THE DESIRED RECONSTRUCTION MEASURES.. The event of the week is the steps which have been taken towards the formation of a Wool Council, the object being to create an important body to deal wrCn post-war problems affecting the wool textile industry. This is a step which cannot but meet with the hearty approval of everyone who desires to see the scheme of Stat© control abandoned with all possible speed." It is now recognised by practically all but the cranks of the trade that some measure of State control is absolutely necessary when the war finishes it being impossible to revert to pre-war methods of business until shipping becomes more normal, and even then " methods of dealing with Germany and her allies will have to bo taken m hand. It has been made perfectly clear by leading members of the Government that the resources of the British Empire are to be drawn upon first of all by Great Britain and her Allies, and there is no textile manufacturing commodity that can possibly be needed more when the war finishes than the fleece of the sheep!; The trade has felt somewhat severely the burdensome measure of*State control; but when all is said and done it is hard to believe that the industry could have been kept going as it has with so little dislocation of business if the Imperial Government had not purchased both the British and colonial clips. This was a step in the right direction ; but if it had' been left entirely to be administered by practical members of the trade no doubt there would have been less friction and fewer blunders made. However, the machinery to-day for applying the principles of State control is fairly comp'lete, and credit is due to those who served their apprenticeship in the wool textile industry and upon whose shoulders largely rests the burden of controlling the industry. However, it would be suicidal to leave post-war conditions until peace is declared, the Government having * decided to take steps beforehand for unwinding, as it were, State control, and getting back with all possible speed to pre-war oonditlo"S' A BASIS FOR DISCUSSION. An important meeting was held in London last week-end, presided over by Mr W. H Forster, Financial Secretary to the War Office. There was nothing really done at that meeting except to talk about .the proposals of the Government, the official roport simply stating that the memoranda submitted ' to the conference merely formed a basis of discussion. It is proposed that tho Wool Council be a comprehensive body, consisting practically or o members—22 from the Board of Control anci 17 others, the latter to include four representatives of Labour, two representatives of consumers, and 11 distributed among the different employing trade organisations. There will also be about li official representatives from the War Office, the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Reconstruction, but these official representatives are not to be entitled to vote. Although 37 members are mentioned in aIJ it must be borne in mind that there' are several official members of the department on the Board of Control, but that will be ail round the number constituting the Wool Council. Various proposals were .made regarding the work and operations of the council, but the practical members of the trade, after hearing the proposals of the members of the Government, strongly urged that the various items mentioned be referred back to the trade organisations for consideration, and this week many private meetings have been held representing all sections of the industry. One important round-table conference of all the representatives has been held, and a further meeting of the Wool Council has been summoned to take place in London to-day. Tho steps which have been taken for putting before the Imperial Government the views of the industry regarding future State control, and as to what shall be done during the transition period, has given every satisfaction, and the fact that the War Office has determined that a programme shall be shaped by the trade is also a move in the right direction.. The reader should boar in mind that this Wool Council is to advise the War Office, and although the latter does not pledge itself to carry out the programme enunciated by the Wool Council, an important body of this character cannot meet and defino a programme without the War Office respecting the recommendations which are thu3 made. For, after all, who

are more capable of advising the Government than those individuals who are elected to speak for the entire industry, and who have been the pioneers in making the trade what it is to-day? A big effort has been made by all the different important associations to come together and to speak as the voice of one man. This really is the first time anything of this nature has been, attempted, and with a full representation of both employers and employees, we are confident that the deliberations of the Wool Council will be such that the War Office will bo wisely advised to adopt what it j recommends. It Jvould be useless to set : out im detail the memoranda of the Governj ment, because in several important p&rv tioulars it will require amendment i but next week we shall be in a position to state clearly the proposals of the Wool* Council, and what is likely to tako place r when peace is declared-. SHOULD LONDON SALES BE REOPENED. There is a strong feeling throughout the trade that the present methods of distributing supplies can be improved, although at the moment it is' difficult to see how the work of the Board of Control and the Rationing Committee can be immediately superceded when peace comes. It is not proposed to dispense with the present Board of Control, although possibly there may be some modifications in its operations. Still, supplies coming to hand for six months after the war are bound to b<S limited, although, with the relief "of Roubaix and Turooing and the other centres of the woollen and worsted industries in Northern France, larger supplies of colonial wool will be needed, because every effort will bo made to restore machinery and put it -into working order. It is some_ satisfaction to know that the mills are intact, or, at least, so far as the buildings are concerned, the machinery only liavinar either been removed or the copper and brass narts taken by the Germans. The evacuation of Northern France presents a problem which the Wool Council will have to deal with. The point wo want to emphasise is that throughout the trade there is a strong feeling that public sales at the Wool Exchange in Coleman street should be restored with all possible speed; but that cannot be expected for some t,rne to come. No doubt London sales will be roopened, as soon as they can, and some system of rationing the wool will have to be introduced the same as at the East Indian sales in Liverpool, which has caused the least friction of any. No doubt buying will have to be permitted under license, prices fixed, and other details settled as circumstances at the time determine. What gives satisfaction to . the industry is to know that very big supplies of raw wool are stored in Australasia, and this should prevent any panicky prices being paid. In fact, • higher values than colonial wool is being distributed at to day are very undesirable. Nothing would do more harm than to see prices pushed sky-high.; only to fall rapidly when supplies increase. A debacle in the wool market would do infinite harm, and the only way to prevent this is for the Government to permitbuying under license and to fix prices. There is need to-day for a million bales of colonial wool to be" brought to Europe with all possible speed; but the shipping difficulty is bound to be .uppermost in the trade for a long time to come, although when the war finishes considerable shipping is certain to be released on account of the movement of munitions of war ceasing. NO CIVILIAN SUPPLIES. - Tho difficulty that confronts the trade today is the absence of supplies on civilian account. The Top Distribution Department is finding it exceedingly difficult to satisfy spinners—in fact, on civilian account practi-. callv no tons are available, all being wanted to meet military demands. Judging.by the new orders which have recently been given out for the military, which will last up to next March-April, it looks as if the war 13 not expected to finish for some time to come. However, provision has been made that immediately peace' is declared the present military orders can stop, and what work is in hand can be turned over to the production of fabrics and dyed blue, black, brown, or other shades in order to provide demobilised men with a sound suit of clothes. By so doing provision has been made against any waste, the stopping of the execution of military fabrics meaning! tho release of a big quantity for the civil trade.