ABSTRACT

the calico printing industry has proved one of the most illuminating of these studies since it has changed very much less than most of the industries studied and much that was true of the period before 1900 remained true throughout the inter-war period. There has thus been a long period in which to assess the role of the merger; and as a result this study gives an opportunity to consider in some detail the effects of a large firm in an industry in which there are also a number of other firms of varying size. This structure has existed in a number of the other industries, particularly cement and soap, but only in this case have the processes remained comparatively unchanged for a long time; they are complicated and are discussed at some length in Chapter 2. The one merger of importance took place in 1900 and since then the industry has been dominated by the Calico Printers’ Association Ltd.