§ Mr. Prescottasked the President of the Board of Trade how many Lancashire textile mills, closed under the war-time concentration scheme, are still inoperative; what are the respective numbers of spindles and looms involved; how many looms are automatic; and how many spindles are respectively mule and ring.
§ Mr. H. WilsonThirty-six cotton spinning mills, containing 1,400,000 mule spindles and 230,000 ring spindles, and 150 weaving sheds, in which some 30,000 looms are installed, are still closed after concentration. The exact number of automatic looms in the closed sheds is not known but it is believed to be very small.