The Washington herald., 1920-06-25
British Linen Trusts Combine
To Fight Government Effort
In Backing AUCTION of Flax

port OF British fax to the United
States or the Continent.
In regard to these controlled
prices an interesting position has
been reached. Some little time ago
a farmer named King. who was dis
satisfied with the grading OF his fax
by the government inspectors, with
drew II from the fax market at
Ballynahinch and took 1t home. For
this offense against the defense of
the realm act he was fined ten
pounds in a local court. He appeal
ed and the case Is now under con-
sideration by the Divisional Court.
That court will undoubtedly de-
eide that once the armistice was
signed fax ceased to be munitions
OF war" in any sense of the word.
and that the government had no
right to continue to control II, under
powers bestowed by the defense of
the realm act. That means that
every farmer in Ireland who has sold
his fax at controlled prices since
the armistice will have the right TO
recover from the government the
difference between what he received
for his fax and what he would have
received IL there had been no price
control.
May Levy Indemnity.
The government may endeavor to
save itself by pushing some sort of
an indemnity bill through parlia-
ment, relying for success on the in
ftuence of Sir Edward Carson, who
is the champion of the spinners in
this. But recently the government
tried. in a case OF land taken with
out compensation by the admiralty.
to save itself by a similar measure
and was defeated, so II Is unlikely
that IL will succeed in this case.
Another factor which is contribu-
ting to the Independent attitude of
the spinners is the discovery, or
alleged discovery, that yarns, equal
in quality to fine linen yarns. can
be manufactured wholly or partially
from hemp. Cloth made of such
yarns Is actually being put on the
market "a the present time as fine
linen, though the courts would un-
doubtedly declare such action to
be subject to damages for misropre-
sentation IL the question were le-
gally raised, for there Is by no means
consensus as to the value of the
hemp yarns. At least one large and
old firm, the Boyne Spinning Com
pany,, has, after most exhaustive
tests, directed that no hemp fiber
is to come into its factories.
Control Flax Output.
1t was thought that at any rate
as soon as some Of the LARGE stocks
fof fax fiber, known to be held in
Esthonia, Lithuania and other Bal
tic States, could be exported to the
United Kingdom that the price of
fax yarns and linen goods would
come down. Not a bit of II. When
the first consignments reached the
British ports and were offered to
spinners by the government agents
the spinners refused to touch them.
The governments agents said. "If
you will not buy them at the price
fixed, We will export them to the
That" said the spinners, ''is Just
what you cannot do. The fiax con-
troll board, which we control. pro-
hibits the export of fax from the
British Islands"
Word reached the spinners. how
ever. that the government prono.aa
to override their friends of the asx
control board and permit Baltic f,ay
to be re-exported, IL necessary. And
straightway from Dundee and Rel
fast came orders for every ton of
fax that had reached the countrv
That, however. did not save the
situation from the point of view
of the public. hungry for cheaner
linen goods. So the fiber densrt-
ment Of the Chemical and Metat
Bank. which is handling the imnor-
tation and grading of Baltic nay
on behalf Of the government de-
'cided that the only thing to be dons
was to sell the FAX that was I'M.
ported, by public auction In London
and so create an open fax marker
for the world.
Needless to say this Is not roine
to be done without a fight. ana tba
latest adyices tend to show that the
spinners, continental as well as
British, are hurriedly endeayorinr
to form an agreement among them
selves to boycott the auction.
Whether they will succeed is another
question upon which action of the
American linen trade should have
a considerable bearing. But the
truth OF the mater Is that unless
the Germans can be called upon to
take the role of trust breakerss
the world may have to submit. for
some time to come. to the extor.
tions~ of the linen trust.