File No. 300.115/11269
[Enclosure 1]
B. Toone and Company to the
American Consul General at London (Skinner)
Nottingham,
December 7, 1916
.
Dear Sir: In answer to yours of
December 6, the hosiery-needle situation here remains very
difficult and uncertain, but we are expecting something definite
from the Board of Trade this week, and we will then communicate
further with you.
Since August 24, 1916, no new licences have been issued, not even
for factories working upon Government contracts, so far as we
know.
The only German needles now coming into this country are those
contracted for under the old licences prior to August 24 last,
and these are only obtained with much difficulty owing to the
many new regulations.
With regard to there being any prospect that exports of hosiery
needles to the States will be resumed, that depends on the
decision of the Board of
[Page 578]
Trade now pending and the strength of your own elbow, and
whether the needles are of a type not required by hosiery
manufacturers in the United Kingdom.
If any of your hosiery manufacturers can prove that they are
working upon contracts for the Allied Governments, then they
have a good case for a licence being granted to us to obtain any
possible supplies for them.
We have now an enquiry and samples from The Fuld and Hatch
Knitting Company of Albany, N. Y., for 250,000 needles, of
November 17, and have told them we may be able to supply under
the above conditions, and if they place an order with us, they
should send you a copy of the order and you should support the
application for a licence.
With regard to the quantity of German needles imported into the
United Kingdom from January 1 to August 24, 1916, we have no
figures except our own which we can not divulge. The increase in
the British production of needles is a negligible quantity,
particularly on all the fine gauges, and will most likely
continue to be during the war.
Yours respectfully,
B. Toone & Co.
F. S. Toone
[Enclosure 2]
B. Toone and Company to the American Consul
General at London (Skinner)
Nottingham,
December 15, 1916
.
Dear Sir: In answer to yours of the
14th instant, the Board of Trade have not yet made up their
minds what to do over the needle question.
They have transferred the work of obtaining statistics to the
Leicester Chamber of Commerce, and that Chamber is now doing its
best to obtain more figures for the Board of Trade.
When fresh licences will be granted no one knows but nothing has
been done up to now except to ask for more figures.
Yours faithfully,
