The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1915-07-02
GERMANY FACING
LACK OF CLOTHING
Shortage Of Wool Presents
Serious Problem.
MANY MILLS CLOSE DOWN.


Shut OF From All the Worlds Markets,
kaiser's War Chiefs Feel Anxiety
Lest They. May Not 30 Able to Pro-
vide Sufficient New Winter Uniforms
For Their Armies.
The problem Of insuring a future sup
ply of uniforms for her great armies
Of fighters, while at the same time
guaranteeing sufficient clothing for the
old men and the women and children,
Is causing official Germany more real
anxiety than the troublesome question
of securing food supplies for all her
people.
Experts in the wool and cotton trade
declare that since Germany has been
cut off from the wool and cotton mar
kets of the world by reason of the a.
lies blockade she faces the grave dan
ger of inability to clothe her soldiers
properly many months longer and may
have great difficulty in prosecuting an
other winter campaign if the war lasts
until the sue flies again.
Germany obtained the wool she used
in her manufactures mainly from Aus
tralia and New Zealand through the
London markets and from South Amer
lea, chiefly the Argentine Republic and
Montevideo. The London market Is
now denied her Of course. and she is
cut off also from South American ports.
Some Of her stocks came from Russia.
but they consisted of carpet WOOL"
and the war stopped business in that
direction. She obtained comparative
ly small quantities Of carpet wool from
Turkey, but Turkey Is in the war and
the Turks need all their own wool.
Has Only Home Supply.
Germany had 100000 sheep of her
own in 1900, according to the reports.
but this figure was reduced to 5,OOO,-
600 in 1907. 1t is assumed that the to-
tai has been still further reduced since
then. 1t is admitted that the war has
made 1t necessary to slaughter many
sheep for food purposes, and that has
decreased the amount Of home wool.
When the Germans invaded Belgium
they seized all the wool in sight and
shipped back some 3O.OOO.OOO pounds
to the fatherland, leaving the Belgians
no wool at all. They also confiscated
a large amount in their invasion of
northern France.
1t is estimated that thirty pounds of
raw cotton and wool are used for the
manufacture Of a soldiers uniform,
o%vercoat and other clothing. Assam.
ing that Germany had 100000 sheep
in 1914 it is figured that she would not
have supplied sufficient material to
enter into the uniforms of more than
100000. When the stocks seized in
Belgium and northern France are ex-
hausted Gf they have not been exhaust
ed already she will have to fall back
on her home supply.
Germany, it is said, uses more rags
and clips in the making of her clothing
than any other country. For the same
reason that wool is denied her by her
old customers she is unable to obtain
the materials that enter into the manu-
facture of shoddy goods and is utiliz-
ing, nor than ever before the rags
of her W people. 1t is said that IS
per cent more clips (~tailors' cuttings
from new CLOTH were exported to Ger
many from the United States before
the war than to any other country.
Wooden Mills Suspend.
Already a number of Germany's big
gest woollen mills, notably the Lucken-
valdez company plant at Berlin. have
been obliged to suspend.
Germany's stocks of cotton also are
low, and she has been unable to replen-
ish them to any large degree. 1t is
known that representatives of German
firms have disposed Of large stocks of
cotton purchased in the southern states
before the war. which could not be
shipped to the fatherland.
1.-THE problem of getting enough wool
and cotton for her purposes is a very
serious n for Germany" a New York
expert declared the other day. 1T
seems to be a question of a supply of
clothes rather than Of food. She can
probably raise sufficient food for her
soldiers and the people at home, but
how to get sufficient wool and cotton
to make the clothing needed for her
millions is the empires great problem"
One of the principal exporters said
that Of the 271,OOO bales of wool ex-
ported from Argentina alone in 1914
$1,000 bales went to Hamburg, Bremen
and Trieste. He added that the allies
are now using "carDet wOOlS'' in the
making Of uniforms. and he believes
the Germans will do the same.