ABSTRACT
ANY industry the organisation of which is simple and rigid has either arrived at an uncommon state of perfection or is in danger of decay. The wool industry is neither perfect nor decadent, hence its organisation is complex and is always undergoing slight alterations and readjustments. The variety and intricate structure of the goods produced, the constant changes in the character and cost of raw materials, the shiftings of fashion, and the openings and shuttings of markets serve to keep it flexible and adaptable, though maybe it is not flexible enough. Firms or districts that stiffen themselves against change, decay and disappear; the adaptable survive. There are not merely perpetual variations in the fabrics made—that goes without saying—but also frequent modifications in the character and functions of the manufacturing and distributing businesses. Every now and then some new branch of the trade sprouts from the main stem; though 127this is rare. Or again, functions at one time united, as for example, combing and spinning, may fall more and more into separate hands. And the relations between manufacturer 1 and merchant, or rather between manufacturing and “merchanting,” are particularly liable to change, as in the case of the top makers referred to in the last chapter.
