Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

85 THE STRAW HAT TRADE. a considerable time. The competition ex- perienced from the Continent failed to produce any appreciable effect, and it was not until late in the sixties that Chinese plait began to be extensively utilised. The turns of Fortune’s wheel have since then brought about quite a different state of affairs, so much so that the foreign fabrica- tions have almost wholly ousted the British manufactures. The imports of Canton plait rapidly swelled in volume, and by-and-by fancy plaits were poured in from Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, while of late years Japan has become a formidable competitor to these other countries. The Straw Hat trade is a season trade—that is to say, it is only in full swing during certain months of the year. The busy time is from Feb- ruary until about Whitsuntide, so that during the summer months there is considerable slackness in Luton, which is the chief seat of the industry. A visitor to the town on any evening during the busy period would be able to witness a scene which is unique. The boxes in which the goods have been packed during the day for despatch to London and elsewhere are loaded on the railway com- panics’ drays, and an imposing procession sets out for the railway stations from the centre of the town, for it is from the principal thoroughfare (George Street) and the con- tiguous streets that the bulk of the output is despatched. The spectacle of the lorries, with their ten feet high loads of boxes, is an extremely interesting one, and so busy are the drays in collecting that special police arrangements have to be made for regulating the traffic. It is at six that the journey to the railway stations begins, and the extent of this evening traffic may be imagined when it is stated that on one night the number of Photo : Cassell & Co., Ltd, BLOCKING STRAW HATS (MESSRS. W. WALSH AND SON).