ON THE REGULATION OF WAGES IN THE COTTON INDUSTRY. 317 



2. Closeness of the Threads. 



The warp or twist is drawn through what are known as a set of 

 gears, comprising healds and reeds. The healds have loops through which 

 each thread passes, each thread occupying a separate loop. The threads 

 then pass through the reed, which is divided into spaces, two threads as a 

 rule passing through each space, though in certain special classes of cloth 

 one to six threads may pass through together. 



The closeness of the warp depends on the number of threads or ends 

 in an inch. In the Blackburn and Barnley lists a ' 60 reed,' i.e., a reed 

 containing 60 threads or ends in every inch, is the standard. 



When a coarser reed is used the Blackburn list deducts | per cent, 

 for every two ends or counts down to 48, but below 48 no deduction ia 

 made. The Burnley list allows a similar deduction down to 52, no 

 deduction being made for reeds below that size. 



When finer reeds are used | per cent, is added for every two ends or 

 counts above 60, but in the Burnley list the addition is 1 per cent, for 

 every two ends or counts above 68. 



Weft. 



The closeness of the weft which is driven by means of a shuttle be- 

 tween the warp can be calculated in two ways, either by actually counting 

 the number of threads in a ^ inch or by a formula based on the sizes of 

 the wheels and beams in the loom. Both methods ought to give the same 

 result, as the looms are so constructed that they can be made to weave 

 cloth of any degree of closeness. A single thread of the weft is called a 

 'pick' or 'shot,' and the Blackburn list takes as a standard 16 picks to 

 the \ inch. 



The formula referred to above is as follows : — 



Let r = number of teeth in the rack wheel 

 s = „ stud „ 



& = „ beam „ 



i' = „ little pinion wheel 



c ^ circumference of emery beam 

 lu = number of teeth in change wheel 



^ X 5 X & 



Then ^^^ = mathematical dividend (M). 



To this add 1^ per cent., so as to allow for contraction of the cloth 

 between the loom and the counter. 



80 ~ practical dividend (P). 



P 



^ = number of picks per \ inch. 



Of the various wheels referred to above the only one that is varied in 

 a loom so as to vary the closeness of the weft is W, which is called the 

 change wheel. The other wheels are constant, and, therefore, for a given 

 loom the dividend is constant. In the Blackburn list will be found the 

 dividends for the various makes of looms found in North-east Lancashire 

 and hence the only other element required in order to calculate the 

 number of picks per ^ inch is the size of the change wheel. 



