562 



Hand Loom Weaving. 



[Sept., 



the producer, and yet quite equal to anything produced by the 

 power loom. 



Whether hand loom weaving can be made profitable must 

 depend on two considerations, the direct and the indirect aspects 

 of the industry. Directly, it is very questionable whether hand 

 loom weaving will pay except in the manufacture of extreme 

 fancies in either colour or figure. A plain industry, however, 

 which is not directly a paying concern, may ultimately lead on 

 to the real art-industry, and so may be well worth initiating. 

 Thus under right conditions of equipment, control and sym- 

 pathetic stimulation, even a plain industry, designed for the 

 production of very simple fabrics, might almost be made to pay 

 directly, and when indirect benefits were taken into account might 

 very probably be developed on permanently successful lines. 



Emphasis, however, should be laid upon the selling factor. 

 In the case of such an industry as hand loom weaving some' 

 centres might be situated in proximity to pleasure or health resorts 

 where there would probably be no difficulty in disposing of the 

 surplus goods produced, but in organising hand loom weaving on 

 a large scale it would be necessary to start selling agencies in 

 suitable centres,* or else place the products of the industry in the 

 hands of a really capable merchanting firm. If lasting success 

 is to be achieved one if not both of these methods must be 

 adopted. Considerable quantities of cloth might be disposed of 

 among the surrounding village communities, and in some cases 

 the industry would manufacture wool for the local farmers, but 

 the produce of an efficiently organised industry would be suffi- 

 ciently great to necessitate a larger outlook from the spiling 

 point of view. 



Thus in facing the problem of making such an industry as 

 hand loom weaving a real attraction in rural life, the factors of 

 interest, of usefulness and of economic value should each be 

 given due consideration. If the participants could form 

 an association showing zeal and enterprise, remarkable results 

 might be obtained. A Home Industries Association might also 

 rear flocks of sheep producing wool specially suited to the require- 

 ments of the home industries. It might establish a woodwork 

 factory of its own for the production of its spinning wheels, 

 jennies, and hand-looms; start its own central wool carding 

 plant, thus favouring the development of wheel or jenny spinning 



* This has already been done in the case of the Canadian Home Industries 

 Association. 



