purchased the whole of the British clip at 33% above July 1914 prices. The British clips of 1917 and 1918 were also bought.
Anxiety with reference to the possibility of supplying the army with the wool goods it really needed continually increased. In April 1917 the open market for wool was closed and the sales by auction abolished. In May, in anticipation of the lack of wool to keep the factories going and of labour disturbances, an army council order was issued which resulted in the reduction of work- ing hours in the factories from 55^ per week to 45 per week, unless permission was obtained from the director of army con- tracts to work full time. This order was not withdrawn until May 18 1918, following the enormous demand for flannel goods.
Following the revolt, already referred to, of Yorkshire manu- facturers in Aug. 1917, due to War Office restrictions of supplies and of estimates of future supplies, and following the failure of the trade itself to supply reliable data, came the formation of a " Board of Control."
Wool Control. The Board of Control was organized with Sir Arthur Goldfinch as director of raw material supplies, Col. F. V. Willey as controller of wool supplies, and Sir Charles Sykes as director of wool textile production. The department was housed in the Great Northern Hotel, Bradford, and was given complete control of both supplies of raw material and output of finished clothing. The activities of the department followed briefly the following lines: (i) A reasonably exact basis of " yields " was ascertained and all wools dealt with on the " clean wool " basis. (2) Reliable statistics were obtained and made the basis of the distribution of supplies of raw materials. (3) A method of " rationing " the margin of wool supplies (about 20% of the available supplies) available for the civilian trade was worked out. (4) Difficulties of a minor nature, such as the supply of oils for oiling wool, soaps for scouring, etc., were faced and usually satisfactorily surmounted. (5) A stand- ard clothing scheme was introduced, the intention of which was, no doubt, good, and its failure only to be attributed to the fail- ure to employ the technical skill actually available in the in- dustry in the designing and displaying of the goods manufac- tured. Exhibitions were held up and down the country and attracted much attention, but little demand for the fabrics was exhibited. Last, but perhaps not least, the department had to face the problem of relinquishing control on the termination of the war. Those who know the anxiety caused, years before the war was over, by the clearly foreseen difficulties of disband- ing an enormous army, will know something of the anxieties of the Wool Control Board to close down with credit to itself and no less to either the wool grower or the wool manufacturer.
Provision for After the War. The Armistice brought with it the determination of those whose trade had been taken from them by the Wool Control Board to oust the Board and regain their own back again. The Board's function, on realizing the inevitable, was to dissolve (i) with credit to itself, and (2) with due regard to the interests of the wool growers and wool mer- chants, of the wool manufacturers, and of the consuming public. With the huge demand for goods following the Armistice prices soared up and up, and it was only human that the Board should tend to retain command to its own financial advantage, and also to attempt to prevent undue inflation of values to the detriment of the consuming public. So far as British wools were concerned the removal of control was so simple that no pre- liminary action was considered necessary, and the restrictions were actually removed in time for the wool fairs in 1919.
To meet the difficulty with reference to Australian wools the Imperial Government had decided to purchase the Australian dip for one year after the war. To further facilitate matters, a Wool Council, which included imperial representatives, was formed by the War Office.
With reference to the interests of the manufacturers and consumers the Government again asked for advice from the university of Leeds through one of its representatives. In a personal interview with the official in question the probable trend of trade after the war was outlined and the suggestion given that, in view of the almost certain shortage of immediately
available supplies and the huge demand for fine merino wools, certain manufacturing restrictions such as spinning only to fine counts of yarn should be imposed. Unfortunately this suggestion was not sufficiently acted upon, with the result that the army's revolt from rough khaki to fine blue serge sent merino wools soaring up to unthought of heights, all other qualities following suit. The intention of the Wool Council was un- doubtedly good, but again the direction of the matter was pri- marily in the hands of those who knew little or nothing about the wool industry, who could not even judge who were giving them sound advice and who were giving them questionable advice. It may be conceded that to control speculation under the conditions prevailing from 1918 to 1921 was apparently impossible. Apparently the only thing to be done was to unload stocks as rapidly as possible although one authority did sug- gest that the way to reduce prices was to keep large stocks of wool and not to sell.
During this period there was much unrest in the labour world and a great deal of talk about " profiteering." As an indirect result of this the Whitley Act was passed by Parliament, and note should here be made of the endeavours made by the British woollen and worsted industries to take advantage of this Act and form " Industrial Councils " composed of employers and employees, also of the formation of the " National Wool Textile Industrial Council," the final draft-constitution of which prepared by Mr. Ernest Marsh (chairman) and Mr. G. H. Wood (secretary) as adopted on Dec. 10 1918, was as follows (Yorkshire Observer, Nov. 27 1918):
" The title selected is the National Wool (and Allied) Textile Industrial Council, and its objects are defined as follows:
To promote the development of the industry and to secure that wages, methods of production, and conditions of employment shall be systematically reviewed and decisions agreed upon which shall have as their object the improvement of the relations between em- ployers and employees.
In furtherance of these objects the Council shall:
(a) Consider wages, hours, and working conditions in the indus- try as a whole, and the fixing of standard rates of wages for similar occupations in the industry. It shall also consider the employment of scientific and agreed methods of fixing wages, and of adjusting wages to new conditions, and the securing to the employees of a share in any increased prosperity of the industry;
(i) Consider the best means of securing the highest efficiency of the industry, including any improvement in machinery, inven- tion, or method by which the prosperity of the industry is to be increased; secure that such invention or improvement in method shall give to each party a fair distribution of the benefits derived from the increased efficiency; utilize to the fullest extent the prac- tical knowledge and experience of the workpeople, and secure that such knowledge may receive consideration ;
(c) Consider the existing machinery for the settlement of differ- ences between different parts and sections in the industry, and the establishment of regular methods of negotiation on anticipated issues between employers and employees, and upon differences which may be reported with a view to the prevention of differ- ences and their equitable adjustment;
(d) Consider the supervision of the entry into and training of employees for the industry, and cooperation with the educational authorities in arranging educational facilities for the industry in all its branches;
(e) Make comparative studies of the workings and methods of the industry in this and other countries, and when desirable pub- lish reports;
(/) Secure to the workman a greater share in and responsibil- ity for the determination and observance of the conditions under which he works, in so far as it relates to his material comfort and well-being; make efforts for the decasualisation and permanent security of employment, having regard to the conditions surround- ing changes of occupation between one employer and another; consider means toward the improvement of conditions with a view to removing the danger to health in the industry, and toward pro- viding special treatment where necessary for employees in the industry;
(g) Make reports to Government departments and local author- ities of the needs and opinions of the industry; consider any ques- tions bearing on such matters which may be referred to the Indus- trial Council by the Government or by a Government depart- ment; consider jointly all proposed legislation affecting the indus- try and take joint action where "such legislation is likely to inter- fere with its prosperity;
(h) Consider the best means of insuring the observance of the decisions of the Council and of agreements made between organiza- tions of employers and employees;
