Letter from Cecil Pim to E. A. Aston, 15 March 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Cecil Pim

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A letter from Cecil Pim, owner of the Greenmount Factory, to E. A. Aston, Inspector of the Local Government Board (LGB), Dublin, replying to Aston's letter of 11 March. Pim provides reasons for the reduction of working hours in the spinning and weaving factories in Belfast. He also provides reasons for the reduction in output in the weaving industry since the outbreak of the war, including difficulties in obtaining raw materials and the price of those materials. While obtaining coal has not been a problem up to now, he speculates that a shortage may be a problem in future.

 National Archives of Ireland , NAI-CSORP-1916-7443-16 https://letters1916.ie/item/516 English Cecil Pim 1916-03-15 Greenmount Factory, Harold's Cross, Dublin, Ireland E. A. Aston Local Government Board, Dublin, Ireland Male Industry and Public Administration Industry and Public Administration

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 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. 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 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 Local Government Board, Dublin, Ireland Letter from Sir Henry A Robinson to Robert Chalmers, 29 May 1916Letter from a Local Government Board Inspector to Captain Kelly, 11 March 1916Letter from R. C. Kelly to E. A. Aston, 14 March 1916Letter from Alexander McDowell to E. A. Aston, 17 March 1916Letter from a Local Government Board inspector to C. J. Hanrette, 11 March 1916Letter from C. J. Hanrette to E. A. Aston, 14 March 1916Letter from the Local Government Board (LGB) to Cecil Pim, 11 March 1916Letter from Cecil Pim to E. A. Aston, 15 March 1916Letter from Sir Henry A Robinson to Thomas Nally, 6 April 1916Letter from Alexander Richard Barlas to the Longford Urban District Council, 28 July 1916Letter from J.E. Devlin to the Under Secretary of Ireland, 23 June 1916Letter from the Alexander Richard Barlas to Sir Matthew Nathan, 15 February 1916Letter from A R Barlas to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 March 1916Letter from J E Devlin to the Local Authority Longford, 30 November 1915Letter from L.S. Smith to the Executive Sanitary Officer, 3 March 1916Letter from A R Barlas to Sir Matthew Nathan, 28 February 1916 Greenmount Factory, Harold's Cross, Dublin, Ireland Letter from Cecil Pim to E. A. Aston, 15 March 1916Letter from a War Employments Inspector to Cecil Pim, 20 March 1916 Cecil Pim Letter from the Local Government Board (LGB) to Cecil Pim, 11 March 1916Letter from Cecil Pim to E. A. Aston, 15 March 1916Letter from a War Employments Inspector to Cecil Pim, 20 March 1916