1 TELEGRAMS GREENMOUNT DUBLIN TELEPHONE 6 RATHMINES GREENMOUNT FACTORY HAROLDS CROSS DUBLIN 15th March 1916 Dear Mr Aston, In reply to your letter of the 11th inst. The Spinning & Weaving Factories in Belfast have been
working nominally 40 hours a week for the past twelve months.
In some cases ( in the Weaving Factories ) the hours worked were, for a
short time, considerably less. Tha majority of the factories are
working now I should say about 47 hours a week.- A few may be running
less than this. On the other hand, several are working full time. The causes in reduction of output were several - firstdeleted textly
the difficulties in getting supplies of raw materials after the outbreak
of war were such that it was thought better to restrict the output
to a considerable extent. Secondly, owing to these difficulties,
the prices of the raw material rose with great rapidity. In addition
freights advanced to an enormous extent, and when the cost of War Risk
Insurance is added to this, the advance in the finished article is
anything up to 50%, consequently buyers were extremely loth to buy,
and the orders received for many months by the weaving trade were very
much less than their ordinary production of cloth. This refers in particular to the American trade, which
is as you now, our chief market, and many looms suitable for this trade
had to be stopped altogether, but this I think shows signs of improve- ment. 2 The volume of orders which has been coming into Belfast for
the past two months has been large, and the trade would be in a
fairly satisfactory condition were it not again for the great difficulty
in getting raw materials. Not only is the supply of linen yarn limited
but the price has advanced to a point which makes it almost prohibitive
consequently an enormous number of looms are now weaving cotton and
union goods, and here again we are in great difficulty, as it is
becoming more and more difficult to get cotton yarns from Lancashire
owing to the congestion on the English Railways. I think I mentioned
this point to you last week when we met.- The forgoing remarks apply altogether to Weaving Factories.
With regard to the Spinning Mills I am afraid I can give you
very little information as we are no longer spinners ourselves.
They have as I said, been running 40 hours a week, but some of the
fine spinners have now received permission from the Association to
work longer hours. In this connection I may mention that the
Spinners Association is now an incorporated body, and all the members
have to conform to the decisions of the Council as regards hours of
work etc.,under fairly heavy penalties. On the other hand, in the case of the
weavers, not yet being incorporated, it is very hard to tell exactly
what is being done, as there is no means of enforcing the recommendat- ions of the Council, and many factories I think act solely as suits
their individual arrangements. As to the question of coal, I have not heard of any mills
or factories having to reduce their hours of work owing to a shortage 3 of coal, and I doubt very much that such has occurred. On the other
hand, this is going to be one of the greatest difficulties for the
next twelve months, and I very much fear that there will be serious
trouble, but up to the present I think no actual stoppage or
curtailment of time has occurred owing to this cause. Yours Faithfully Cecil Pim E A Aston