OUR ENGLISH WOOL LETTER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14839, 17 February 1919, Page 8

OUR ENGLISH WOOL LETTER.

SOME OF THE BYE-PRODUCTS BEING PUT ON A FREE MARKET.

(Special Correspondent.)

BRADFORD, Dec. 19, 1918

The gradual relaxation oi" State cori- ; trol continues. ,o>ne or two important announcements have been made sine > last Friday which show the direction- in which things are moving. An Army Council Order has appeared cancelling as from Monday last, December 16, "the price conti'ol relating to sheep and lamb pelts in Great Britain and Ireland, and freeing from any restrictions' the use to which they may be put either in the form of pelt or basil. In the same order the requisition *of certain classes of domestic and Cape woolled sheepskins is also cancelled. It must, however, be carefully borne in mind that this order does not affect various other orders dealing with the fellmongering of such skins, or any order relating to the control of wool, etc., and that moreover i.t will be necessary for fellmongers, tanners, and leather dressers to continue furnishing the Department with all tlio returns which* they are now called upon to make."

The above is of not direct importance to the wool trade, but as skins and skin wools have been just as much under control as fleece wools of Ml descriptions, such a near approach ihto» the wool domain is clearly indicative of the attitude of the authorities on the matter of control, and may be taken as a forerunner of other happenings of jhe same kind. The scarcity of leather ,'->as been keenly felt in this country, the price of boots being on the same phenomenal level as that of many other connno<lities. iProbably too much has been said about the. inventive genius of the German, but it may be mentioned in connection with the present two-fold subject — leather and wool — that information has come to the writer respecting what is being done in that country in the way, of combining wool and leather substances fox the manufacture of ' boots. These two articles have distinct capacities in relation to moisture. Woollen undergarments are preferable in cold and damp climates because whilst they absorb the heat of the body, they da not throw, it back again into the pores of the; wearer, thereby obviating any injurious effects. The character of leather is quite ent, for while.it absorbs moisture it. can-, not throw it off outwardly, .a reflexive influence being exerted upon anything in which it comes in contact. The theory seems to be that by combining leather and wool, superior foot wear may be produced. •.....■■■

LAPS AND WASTES PUT ON THE MARKET. ', Another. Army Council Girder refers to the release of laps and "wastes. The condition attached is that cither of these commodities may be sold as the owners desire, except such quantities as may have already been disposed of under the rationing scheme. Delivery or acceptance of all these is required to be made in accordance with the t^rms arranged Though there aro other bye-products of the wool manufacturing industry whichare still under control, the setting free of the two-named has given entire satisfaction. Merchants now 7mow that some of their old liberty is being: restored to them, and already advantage ha3 been taken of the fact. Par several days before the order appeared, it was known that something was likely to happen, and opinions were expressed as to how prices would turn. Nothing spfeciaJ has happened yet, though sales .have been made at prices which show quite a decent profit. The actual course of values during the neatt few months will be decided largely by what happens ip relation to the export tra/je. There, are of course large houses in Bradford which are looking for developments in thin direc-' tion. and in the 'event of a continuance of the restrictions' on export, manufacturers will be abler to face them with strong arguments in favor of the present basis not being exceecled-— br at least not greatly advanced. A sals is expected to be held in Bradford at the beginning of next year, when various lots of Government -wools and bye-products will be offered, and this will probably be taken as a sort of indication of the position of values. It is not to be expected, however, that very such buying cr selling will be done during the remainder of the present year. As said above, somo fairly satisfactory business" has been put through, but on the whole things are very quiet. THE INDIVIDUAL ELEMENT IN MANUFACTURING PROCESSES. At a meeting of business men held in Bradford this week, the subject of industrial, fatigue and individual efficiency was discussed at considerable length. A paper was read by Professor A. F. Stanley Rent, M.A., D.Sc, Oxon, who is associated with thei Manchester Technological Institute. ' A member of the j Bradford wool trade 'who accompanied I the writer remarked that very few mem-^ bers of the trade seemed to be present, taking this as an indication of the interest shown in the subject by many to whom it ought to have appealed. The remarks made in the 1 course of the discussion however, showed t>s»t; the practical element was not absent, and the subject though of a somewhat high order, is undoubtedly worth considering by employers of labor in the "wool tex tile trade both here and across the Atlantic. It has been impossible under war conditions to give all the attention to the matter cf effiicency in the employee, which it deserves '; now that hostilities are ended, and traders are faced with" great opportunities -which involve the necessity for an increased production of all classes of goods, the time seems opportune for a new departure on these lines to be made; Professor Kent acknowledged that the rew science is only in its infancy, but it transpired in tho course of the meeting that some of the difficulties which it aspires to solve are not new ones.- One manufacturer said that at the present time a good deal of burling and mending is being done in the mills which ought to have been avoided in the weaving departments, largely due to the lack of efficiency or inattention on the part of the operatives. The principle, however, is that the real cause of these things should be sought out and remedies applied, instead oi working: on the old lines of expressing dissatisfaction with the work, and ignoring the conditions under which it has been done. Another ■speaker remarked on the fact that our American friends although a long way behind us in the material factor were greatly in advance on this country in respect of the human factor. Granted that they catch up to us in the former, they will have to be recognised as more formidable competitors than is even the «ase to-day. Put in a nutshell, the whole subject aims at the highest possible production in the shortest possible time, it having been found by experience I that long working hours'" aie 'not consistent with increased production. In this connection Professor Kent pointed out examples where more time was actually, put into work when the nominal hours were shorter, than when the nominal hours were longer. THE TENDENCY TOWADS A FREE MARKET FOR WOOL. As the raw material was ,the starting point of State Control, it >s not surprising that it new shows signs of breaking clown there. Combined influences are working towards that end. Some of them are known to readers in the United States, but they cannot be expected lo understand just exactly what feelings are created on this side as a result of what is done in their country. The opinion is definitely entertained here that the days of State Control are numbered. The intention of the United States War Trade Board to remove the embargo on wool imports, and the determination shown by many growers in South Africa to stand out against Imperial purchase both mean that British wool importers will be keener to look after their interests in those two markets. This in turn will have its weight j .in the arguments in favor 'o£_ an early resumption of the London auctions. j A feeling of quietness is beginning to pervade the whole industry as the year closes, but this can only be' regarded as temporary. Some rather galling hindrances are being put in the way of manufacturers being able tw secure yarn from spinners, but even this ia regarded as only a passing phase dependent only upon control ceasing. viewj?

are entertained respecting the outlook tor the yarn market. Further supplies of tops are being promised, all of which will help to keep machinery running and provide for the civilian requirements which are developing.