822 



Crate-Rod and Barrel-TIoop Trades. 



[Dec, 



guarantee of good faith, and they are not soon forgotten. For- 

 tunately, organisation is extending to the Staffordshire erate- 

 makers and coopers, and in their own interests they are anxious - 

 lo put an end to such practices. A wood dealer if onlv he 

 knew it. can now refer to the Secretary of the Crate-Makers' 

 and Coopers' Association, 33, Albion Street, Hanley, Staffs., 

 with inquiries as to the reputation of any cooper or crate -maker 

 who wishes to buy from him. 



Coiling of Barrel-Hoops. — Barrel-hoops are tied into straight 

 bundles of fifty, sorted according to size, and are usually 

 despatched thus from the Basingstoke district. Nevertheless, 

 coopers and potters prefer to get them ready coiled, even though 

 freights are a little higher owing to the greater space required 

 for coiled hoops in transit Coiling used to be done at Alder- 

 maston but it died out before the War and has only recently 

 been resumed. Meanwhile the rods were sent to London to be 

 coiled by London coopers, who apparently had big coiling plants. 

 Basingstoke barrel-hoops and crate-rods are known in Stafford- 

 shire and elsewhere as " Ijondon " rods or hoops, no doubt 

 owing to the enterprise of some London cooper who bought them 

 from the country and distributed them. It seems wasteful for 

 such cheap goods as barrel-hoops to bear the double transport 

 expenses incurred in sending them to London to be coiled and 

 then to the Potteries or to some other market, and except for 

 the London market it would appear to be more economical to 

 coil them at the source. A hiix Staffordshire firm of coopers set 

 up a coiling plant during the War because it was unable to pro- 

 cure coiled hoops, and had big packing contracts. After the 

 War the plant was sold, since even in this big cooperage there 

 was not enough work to keep the plant busy for more th.^n about 

 one day in the week, so the capital was lying idle. Coiling can 

 easily be done by a very simple apparatus while the wood is 

 green, and when dry the wood can be soaked and coiled inside a 

 cylinder to dry, so that it keeps its shane after removal and can 

 easily be held in position while the cooper fastens it to the barrel. 

 If a large trade were to be organised frcm one of the railway 

 stations such as Aldermaston or Alton whence wood is 

 despatched, coiling machinery mJght pay. and it is quite pos- 

 sible tha^ the difficulty is merely that rf collecting si^fficient 

 capital to buy up local barrel-hoops in large quantities. Many 

 difficulties might be solved by passin.Q- all the local crate and 

 barrel-hoop wood through the hands of a local coiling, packing 



