Cotton Board (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The Cotton Board was an organisation to oversee the organisation, research, marketing
and promoting
the cotton
textile industry
mainly based in Lancashire
and Glasgow
. It existed from 1940, and as a statutory Industrial Development Board from 1948 to 1972.
praised the work of the voluntary Cotton Board in a speech at the Midland Hotel, Manchester on 4 December 1946.
The board was given statutory status in 1948 under the Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947
. The Board had equal representation from industry and trades unions, with four members each, plus three independent members. It was given the power to levy up to £250,000 a year from the industry.
Although it was intended to be essentially focused on changing the industry through its own efforts, David Clayton says: “From the mid-1950s ... the Cotton Board also became a lobby organization demanding changes to industrial and commercial policies.”
Its headquarters was in Manchester
, together with the “Colour, Design and Style Centre”, which became the public face of the board.
.
. Nicholas Ridley
, recounting the Board's history during the 1971 debate preceding its dissolution, said that in 1959, the Board engaged in co-ordination of a
However, a combination of reduced consumer demand, poor marketing and cheaper Commonwealth imports during the period of reorganisation created, a “complete lack of confidence in the industry” according to the Board’s chairman Lord Rochdale
. This both reduced the amount asked for by industry and invested by the government and resulted in machinery being installed in mills that either closed or became idle. Furthermore, because of the need to replace machinery on a ten-year cycle, idleness was likely to mean that investments would not be recouped.
Ridley concluded:
The report recommended a move away from cotton import quotas to imposition of tariffs on cotton goods imported from the British Commonwealth and elsewhere to protect British industries. The recommendation was accepted by Wilson’s Labour government and its Conservative successor.
Anthony Crosland
, speaking for the government in the 1969 debate, claimed that:
The rates suggested by the report were accepted by the government, and came into effect in 1972. They were:
Other important recommendations concerned investment, multi-shift working and better links between production and marketing. The recommendation to finance 40% investment grants was rejected as the government felt it would “not be justified in singling out this industry for financial assistance on such a scale”. The government also decided to encourage further mergers among smaller firms.
The policies were carried forward by the next Conservative government. Ridley said, during the dissolution debate that:
it was responsible for initiatives which included work on new methods for utilising labour, design innovations, recruitment and training, and the encouragement of collaboration within the cotton industry. British fashion designs and fabrics were showcased at national and international exhibitions, ranging from an exhibition on the history of the cotton mill
s and a display of 1960s children's clothing
to soft furnishing promotions at large stores and national fashion shows.
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and promoting
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
mainly based in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. It existed from 1940, and as a statutory Industrial Development Board from 1948 to 1972.
Funding, aims and purpose
Prior to the war, the main organisation representing the cotton industry was the Joint Committee of Cotton Trade Organisations, established in 1925. A voluntary Cotton Board was set up in 1940 to “promote the welfare of the industry by internal reorganisation, by the development of export trade, scientific research, propaganda and other means.” Sir Stafford CrippsStafford Cripps
Sir Richard Stafford Cripps was a British Labour politician of the first half of the 20th century. During World War II he served in a number of positions in the wartime coalition, including Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Minister of Aircraft Production...
praised the work of the voluntary Cotton Board in a speech at the Midland Hotel, Manchester on 4 December 1946.
The board was given statutory status in 1948 under the Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947
Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947
The Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947 enabled the creation of industrial development Boards with powers to raise levies from specific industrial sectors in the United Kingdom for co-ordinated action, particularly in research, marketing and industrial re-organisation...
. The Board had equal representation from industry and trades unions, with four members each, plus three independent members. It was given the power to levy up to £250,000 a year from the industry.
Although it was intended to be essentially focused on changing the industry through its own efforts, David Clayton says: “From the mid-1950s ... the Cotton Board also became a lobby organization demanding changes to industrial and commercial policies.”
Its headquarters was in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, together with the “Colour, Design and Style Centre”, which became the public face of the board.
Research and development
The Board funded research into cotton fabrics via an industry-wide levy. This was undertaken by the British Cotton Industry Research Association, better known as the Shirley Institute. By the 1960s, research also covered man-made fabrics, whose manufacturers began to pay a research levy to the Board from 1961, and the Shirley Institute was merged with the British Rayon Research AssociationBritish Rayon Research Association
The British Rayon Research Association was a research institute formed in 1946 by the British Rayon Federation and others. It was funded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and by voluntary funds from industry to investigate the chemical and physical properties of rayon and...
.
Industrial reorganisation and replacement of machinery
The Board also engaged in a major attempt to reorganise the cotton industry, initiated by the Cotton Industry Act 1959Cotton Industry Act 1959
The United Kingdom Cotton Industry Act 1959 aimed to reorganise the Lancashire cotton industry to prevent further decline. It provided for grants to replace equipment...
. Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Personal life:...
, recounting the Board's history during the 1971 debate preceding its dissolution, said that in 1959, the Board engaged in co-ordination of a
major reorganisation of the industry, entailing the scrapping of machinery and compensation for redundant workers in the industry, [which] was carried through with great success and great expedition.
However, a combination of reduced consumer demand, poor marketing and cheaper Commonwealth imports during the period of reorganisation created, a “complete lack of confidence in the industry” according to the Board’s chairman Lord Rochdale
John Kemp, 1st Viscount Rochdale
John Durival Kemp, 1st Viscount Rochdale OBE TD was a British peer and businessman.Kemp married Elinor Dorothea Pease on 18 March 1931 and succeeded to his father's title as the 2nd Baron Rochdale in 1945. He was created Viscount Rochdale in 1960.Lord and Lady Rochdale had two children:* St John...
. This both reduced the amount asked for by industry and invested by the government and resulted in machinery being installed in mills that either closed or became idle. Furthermore, because of the need to replace machinery on a ten-year cycle, idleness was likely to mean that investments would not be recouped.
Ridley concluded:
A sum of £38.9 million was spent on the reorganisation of the cotton industry, of which the Government of the time contributed £24.7 million. It did not, I fear, come up to the full expectation and did not go as far as the council had hoped in reorganising the industry. But I feel that undoubtedly the verdict of history will be that this was a successful operation in adaptation, for which the council should be given full credit.
Productivity enquiry and import tariffs
Between 1967 and 1969, the Textile Council conducted an enquiry into the productivity of the industry, and produced a major report.The report recommended a move away from cotton import quotas to imposition of tariffs on cotton goods imported from the British Commonwealth and elsewhere to protect British industries. The recommendation was accepted by Wilson’s Labour government and its Conservative successor.
Anthony Crosland
Anthony Crosland
Charles Anthony Raven Crosland , otherwise Tony Crosland or C.A.R. Crosland, was a British Labour Party politician and author. He served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire and later for Great Grimsby...
, speaking for the government in the 1969 debate, claimed that:
There is no reason to think that, with the possible exception of India, the developing countries of the Commonwealth generally will be able to export less to Britain over a tariff of this amount than they would under a continuation of the quota system. So far as India is concerned, the Government will, when the time comes to determine the level of aid to India after 1972, take into account, against the background of India's general aid requirements at that time, any adverse effects on her exports arising from the tariff.
The rates suggested by the report were accepted by the government, and came into effect in 1972. They were:
6½ per cent. on yarn, 15 per cent. on cotton cloth, which accounts for the greater part of the trade, and 17 per cent. on most garments
Other important recommendations concerned investment, multi-shift working and better links between production and marketing. The recommendation to finance 40% investment grants was rejected as the government felt it would “not be justified in singling out this industry for financial assistance on such a scale”. The government also decided to encourage further mergers among smaller firms.
The policies were carried forward by the next Conservative government. Ridley said, during the dissolution debate that:
All who have read the report which it produced will agree that it was a most comprehensive, penetrating and full document, which earned the commendation of all concerned with the cotton textile industry.
Promotional work
Between 1956 to c. 1962, the Cotton Board organised promotions to try and increase sales of Lancashire cotton within the UK, using generic marks, particularly the slogan ‘Buy British Cottons’.it was responsible for initiatives which included work on new methods for utilising labour, design innovations, recruitment and training, and the encouragement of collaboration within the cotton industry. British fashion designs and fabrics were showcased at national and international exhibitions, ranging from an exhibition on the history of the cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s and a display of 1960s children's clothing
Children's clothing
Children's clothing is clothing for children who have not yet grown to full height.Children's clothing is often more casual than adult clothing, fit for play and rest. Hosiery is commonly used....
to soft furnishing promotions at large stores and national fashion shows.
Dissolution of the statutory Textile Council and formation of the voluntary British Textile Council
The Cotton Board was renamed the Textile Council in 1967. It was dissolved in 1971-2, at its own request, as it was felt the work would be better handled by a new voluntary British Textile Council.Key personnel
- Lord RochdaleJohn Kemp, 1st Viscount RochdaleJohn Durival Kemp, 1st Viscount Rochdale OBE TD was a British peer and businessman.Kemp married Elinor Dorothea Pease on 18 March 1931 and succeeded to his father's title as the 2nd Baron Rochdale in 1945. He was created Viscount Rochdale in 1960.Lord and Lady Rochdale had two children:* St John...
Chairman, 1957-61 - Lewis WrightLewis Wright, Baron Wright of Ashton-under-LyneLewis Tatham Wright, Baron Wright of Ashton-under-Lyne, CBE was an English politician whose career was strongly connected with the textile industry in Lancashire in North West England...
was a leading representative, and later became President of the Trades Union CongressPresident of the Trades Union CongressThe President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...
. - Sir Raymond Streat, Chairman 1948-1957
- Sir Cyril Ernest HarrisonSir Cyril Ernest HarrisonSir Cyril Ernest Harrison was a cotton industrialist. His parents moved to Lancashire and he was educated at Padiham Wesleyan school and Burnley Grammar School.-Career:...
chairman of English Sewing Cotton. Led a trade mission to AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1959 - Frank Roston Chairman ?-1969
- Sir James SteelJames SteelJames Steel, Jim Steel, Jimmy Steel may refer to:*Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel, a character from the TV series Law & Order: UK*Jim Steel...
Chairman 1969-? - Mr. T. D. F. Powell Director General
- Mrs. C. M. Miles, compiler and drafter of the 1969 report