CONCLUSION
IT may be of interest to consider briefly the prospects of the industry.
The Carpet Trade is in several respects a peculiar one. Its principal
raw materials, wool, cotton, and jute, are of such outstanding
importance to more essential industries, that their supply and their
price are conditioned by the latter; so that the Carpet Trade has to
accommodate itself to a market which is not controlled to any extent by
its own needs. It is not a large industry; but it employs a number of
operatives in whom a high degree of technical skill is required in a
great variety of branches; and it utilises a considerable quantity of
ingenious machinery of many kinds. It is, strictly speaking, a luxury
trade. That is to say, it is obvious that it is theoretically more
possible to exist in a house with no carpets, than in a house, say, with
no tables and chairs, while a floor covering is perhaps less of a
necessity than wall-paper or curtains. Of course, as a matter of fact,
the line is not drawn sharply between carpets and other articles of
furnishing. A person who is furnishing a house, if he can afford
curtains can probably afford carpets, though he may, indeed, find his
mind divided between his desire to provide his home with a comfort that
is almost a necessity, and his hesitation to indulge himself in a
comfort that may be regarded as a luxury. Where the practical test of
the trade being a luxury trade comes, is in the matter of renewals. It
is here that the Carpet Industry is sensitive to the periodical changes
in commercial prosperity, which seem to be inherent in modern
civilisation. Generally speaking, when trade is bad the Carpet Industry
is the first to suffer; and when there is a recovery it is some time
before it feels the benefit. It seems that, with the first pinch of
adversity, the carpet consumer decides upon a policy of economy that
excludes the purchase of carpets, whatever else may or may not be
bought.
Hence arises a period of depression in the carpet trade, with a decrease
of profitable production, and consequent unemployment; and this in the
future, in the face of higher wages and more keenly realised
responsibilities towards employees, will certainly be an even more
serious matter than it has been in the past.
The matter of the import of foreign goods has been mentioned in the
chapter on Hand-made Carpets; and all that was said therein as regards
the unrestricted entrance into the British market of Eastern and
Continental productions applies to some extent to their competition with
all makes and grades of carpet. The home market for carpets is a large
one normally, but it is not capable of indefinite expansion; the
consumption has its limits; and if the market is invaded by foreign
goods, the consumption and the price of the domestic product will
quickly fall with unpleasant if not disastrous results upon the
industry.
The dangers indicated axe real ones, serious alike for Capital and
Labour, who, more than ever in the past, will have to stand or fall
together; and they deserve consideration, as regards the way in which
they may best be met.
As previously indicated, various Associations exist in the Carpet Trade;
but it may be admitted that there is scope for better organisation as
regards consideration of matters that affect the Industry as a whole. If
it is to be on a firm foundation, there should be a more complete
recognition of the fact that the interests of all units of the trade are
identical. Further, in any new scheme of combination the position of
Labour will have to be recognised, and its co-operation cordially
welcomed. Some such scheme as is outlined in the well-known Whitley
Report, though it is by no means free from difficulties, may
materialise, possibly in a modified form. The principle at any rate is a
good one; and carpet manufacturers have had no cause to complain of
their relations with their employees (nor _vice versâ_) in the past, nor
any cause for doubting a reasonable attitude on the part of Trade Unions
in the future. No reasonable employers in the Carpet Trade will begrudge
their employees a fair remuneration for their work, nor improved
conditions of working. Nor, on the other hand, will they be sorry to
admit Trade Union representatives to a share in dealing with general
trade problems. It seems manifestly right, for instance, that men no
less than masters should consider how the Industry is affected by tariff
questions, or how high wages or reduced working hours may be made
compatible with the maintenance of the export trade.
Apart from this, it remains to be seen whether the manufacturers
themselves can devise any satisfactory scheme for protecting their own
interests and those of the Industry generally. All are pretty well
agreed as to the desirability of closer and more efficient combination:
differences of opinion exist as to the best methods by which this may be
achieved.
INDEX
Art squares, 88
Aubusson, 4, 22
Axminster, 5
—— carpeting, 49
—— qualities, 50-52
——, seamless, 61
——, setting, 54
—— weaving process, 54, 55
—— weft motion, 58
Beauvais, 4, 22
Brussels carpeting, 29
——, chain warp, 31
——, finishing, 38
——, pressing, 38
—— qualities, 35, 36
——, sprouting, 37
——, stuffer warp, 31
——, weaving process, 32
——, winding, 30
——, worsted, 29
Cairo squares, 38
Carlisle, 23
Carpets, antiquity of, 1
——, artificial ageing of, 26
——, doctoring of, 25
——, earliest makers of, 24
——, European and Asiatic, 26
——, export of, 105, 106
——, import of, 106
——, introduction into England, 3
——, sewing of, 42
Carpet trade associations, 107
—— ——, commercial conditions of, 119
—— ——, District Association, 110
—— ——, distribution of, 104
Carpet Trade Industrial Council, 118
—— —— Rationing Committee, 109
Chenille, 63
——, fur cutting, 65
——, qualities, 67
——, setting, 66
——, weft weaving, 64
Chlidema squares, 38
Colour, 92
Competition, foreign, 27, 120
Cotton, 11
Creel bobbin, 30
Design, 92
Distribution of carpet industry, 104
Donegal, 23
Drying yarns, 19
Dyeing, 13
—— yarns, 14
—— machines, 15, 16
—— process, 18
Dyes of Oriental carpets, 25
Dyestuffs, 18, 25
Dye vats, 14
Eclecticism in design, 102
Egyptian loom, 1
Employees, number of, 104
Employers and employed, 107
Export carpet trade, 105, 106
Fine Wiltons, 45
Flax warp, 23
—— yarn, 11
Foreign competition, 27, 120
Hakluyt, 3
Halifax, 7
Hand-made carpets, 20
Henry IV, 4
—— VIII, 4
Imperial Axminster, 50
Ingrain carpeting, 86
—— qualities, 87
Jacquard, 31
—— Axminster, 59
Jute yarn, 10
Kidderminster, 5, 104
—— carpeting, 86
—— Carpet Weavers’ Association, 100
Kilmarnock, 6
Knots, Turkish and Persian, 21
Linen yarn, 11
Louis XIV, 4
Maffersdorf, 23
Materials, 9
——, consumption of, 104
Medallion squares, 42
Mohair, 10
Morris, influence of, 99
National Affiliation, 117
Northern Counties Association, 112
Ornament, classes of, 97
Owen Jones, 97, 99
Paper yarn, 11
Plain Wilton, 47
Planting, 34
Qualities, standardisation of, 108
Ramie yarn, 11
Reproduction, 100
Saxony Wilton, 46
Scotch carpeting, 86
Scouring of yarns, 13
Seamless Axminster, 61
Self colours, 95
Silk, 9
Starching, 34
Statistics, 104
Tapestry, 7, 71
——, printing, 74
——, scaleboard, 78
——, setting, 81
——, steaming, 81
——, stripping, 80
——, velvet, 84
——, weaving, 83
Trade unions, 110
Two-colour effect, 96
Washing of carpets, 26
Whytock, 6, 71
Wilton, 4, 5, 23
Wilton carpeting, 44
——, plains, 47
——, qualities, 45
——, shading of, 47
Wool, character and consumption of, 9, 10
——, characteristics of, 17
Woollen Wiltons, 46
Yarn drying, 19
—— scouring, 13
* * * * *
_Printed by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., Bath, England_
BRINTONS LIMITED
KIDDERMINSTER
_Tel. Address: Brintons, Kidderminster. Telephone No. 5_
WORSTED AND WOOLLEN SPINNERS
CARPET AND RUG MANUFACTURERS
[Illustration]
_Brussels_, _Wilton_, _Axminster_,
_Chenille_, and _Hand Tufted_
. . . . _Carpeting_ . . . .
[Illustration]
_Cotton_, _Jute_, _Hemp_, _Linen_
. . _and Worsted Webbing_ . .
[Illustration]
WAREHOUSES—
London 10 Ivy Lane, Newgate St., E.C. Tel. 7529 Cent.
Manchester 53 Portland Street Tel. 4739 City
Glasgow 50 Wellington Street Tel. 7314 City
_Tel. Addresses_: Brintons, London; Brintons, Manchester; Brintons,
Glasgow
Robert Hall & Sons Bury Ltd.
Bury, Lancashire
Makers of all classes of
Looms, Preparing & Finishing Machinery
¶ Complete Plants of Machinery for Brussels and Wilton Carpets,
Squares, etc., Tapestry and Velvet Carpets, Carriage Linings,
Rugs, Slipper Tops, Cocoa Matting and Mats, Royal Axminster and
Chenille Axminster Carpets, Turkey Carpets, Scotch and
Kidderminster Carpets, etc.,
in all widths, including
Winding, Warping, Beaming, Sizing Printing, Setting, Starching,
Drying and Steaming, Rolling and Shearing or Cropping Machines
* * * * *
_Special Hand Looms for Carpets_
* * * * *
Makers of the Noted Moxon Carpet Loom
* * * * *
Also Preparing, Weaving and Finishing Machinery for Cotton, Woollen,
Linen, Jute, Ramie, Silk, etc.
_Common Commodities and Industries Series_
Each book in crown 8vo, cloth, with many illustrations, charts, etc. 2s.
6d. net.
Tea: From Grower to Consumer. By A. Ibbetson.
Coffee: From Grower to Consumer. By B. B. Keable.
Sugar: Cane and Beet. By Geo. Martineau, C.B.
Cotton: From the Raw Material to the Finished Product. By R. J. Peake.
Rubber: Production and Utilisation of the Raw Product. By C. Beadle and
H. P. Stevens, M.A., Ph.D., F.I.C.
Iron and Steel: Their Production and Manufacture. By C. Hood.
Silk: Its Production and Manufacture. By Luther Hooper.
Tobacco: From Grower to Smoker. By A. E. Tanner.
Wool: From the Raw Material to the Finished Product. By J. A. Hunter.
Coal: Its Origin, Method of Working, and Preparation for the Market. By
Francis H. Wilson, M.Inst. M.E.
Linen: From the Field to the Finished Product. By Alfred S. Moore.
Timber: From the Forest to its Use in Commerce. By William Bullock.
Clays and Clay Products. By A. B. Searle.
Leather: From the Raw Material to the Finished Product. By K. J. Adcock.
Oils: Animal, Vegetable, Essential, and Mineral. By C. Ainsworth
Mitchell, B.A., F.I.C.
Wheat and its Products. By A. Millar.
Copper: From the Ore to the Metal. By H. K. Picard, Assoc. Royal School
of Mines, Mem. Inst, of Min. and Met.
Paper: Its History, Sources, and Production. By H. A. Maddox.
Glass and Glass Manufacture. By Percival Marson.
Soap: Its Composition, Manufacture, and Properties. By William H.
Simmons.
The Motor Industry. By Horace Wyatt, B.A.
The Boot and Shoe Industry. By J. S. Harding.
Gums and Resins. By Ernest J. Parry.
Furniture. By H. E. Binstead.
_Other Volumes in preparation._
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
Some illustrations have been moved slightly to keep paragraphs intact.
Archaic spellings and hyphenation have been retained. A few obvious
typesetting errors have been corrected without note. The advertisements
and publisher's catalogue have been moved from the front of the book to
the end of the book.
[End of _Carpets_, by R. S. Brinton]