WOOL, 



Mills 



WOOL AND PASHM 



High-class 

 Goods. 



Army Clothing. 



Supplies of Wool. 



Steam- 

 power 

 Mills. 



Capital. 

 Looms. 



Employees. 



Goods. 



Handloom 

 Industry. 



the Indian mills were believed capable of holding. In Calcutta, for ex- 

 ample, there has existed for many years past a large demand for coolie 

 blankets and shawls, and this has recently been entirely usurped by cheap 

 foreign supply. It is hardly to be wondered at, therefore, that the pioneer 

 woollen mills of India, such as the Cawnpore Woollen Mills Co., Ltd., 

 should have been driven to turn their attention almost exclusively to the 

 production of high-class goods of pure wool in direct competition with the 

 British supply, since their woollen blankets could no longer compete with 

 the cheap low-grade foreign articles. Similarly it has been realised that 

 there was a more profitable market open to the Indian mills in the produc- 

 tion of ordinary average quality and even high-class woollen goods than 

 in contracts with the Army Clothing Department of India. Thus it may 

 be said that recent years have witnessed a complete revolution, and a 

 wholesome one, since the date when the original Dhariwal Woollen Mills 

 Company was established, almost exclusively, it might be said, to meet 

 official contracts. 



The Dhariwal and Cawnpore Mills may be regarded as favourably placed 

 to tap the supplies of India's finest wools, such as those of Kangra, Simla, 

 Garhwal, Kumaon and Nepal, the South-East Panjab (Shahpur, Dera 

 Ismail Khan, etc.) and South-Western Afghanistan. In some cases these 

 wools have to be carried by road for 200 to 300 miles before they reach 

 the nearest railway station. This is the chief drawback to the Indian 

 mills the long road transit and consequent heavy charges. 



Mills and Woollen Manufactures of India. In 1876 the Cawnpore 

 Woollen Mills were established, arid ten years later (1886) there were four 

 woollen mills in India with a combined capital of Rs. 18,00,000. These 

 gave employment to 1,372 persons, had 242 looms and 5,420 spindles 

 under use. They produced goods to the extent of 798,062 lb., valued at 

 Rs. 5,27,420. Still a decade later (1896) there were 6 mills at work in 

 India with a capital of Rs. 32,50,000, and these gave employment to 3,017 

 persons, had 530 looms, 18,658 spindles, and produced 2,345,570 lb. of 

 goods, valued at Rs. 24,96,751. During 1904 there were 6 mills with a 

 capital of Rs. 46,25,000, employing 3,468 persons, 737 looms and 25,931 

 spindles, with a production of 3,508,700 lb. valued at Rs. 36,74,678. That 

 is a record of thirty years' progression of which India has no cause to be 

 ashamed, yet it should be viewed as giving but a foretaste of still greater 

 advancements. 



It may perhaps suffice to complete this reference to the Indian power- 

 loom woollen mills to repeat that, as a rule, they concern themselves with 

 the growing demand for goods on ^, European pattern and style, such as 

 serges, broadcloths, flannels, tweeds, blankets, travelling rugs, etc. They 

 have also given attention to the production of worsted, knitting yarns, 

 Berlin wool, as also knitted goods of all kinds, such as socks, cardigans, 

 jackets, jerseys, caps, gloves, etc., etc. They use pure wool : for the 

 lower grade goods, Indian wool, and for the higher, the finer imported 

 wools, either alone or mixed with Indian. They do not attempt the 

 imitation of Indian special textiles, nor have they as yet engaged in any 

 branch of the European carpet industry. 



Indigenous Woollen Industry. But the official returns of mills take 

 cognisance only of factories that each employ not less than 25 persons 

 and keep these at work mainly, if not exclusively, on the production of 

 woollen goods. Scattered all over India, however, more especially in 



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