Catalogue description Board of Trade: Cotton Control Board and Cotton Reconstruction Board: Correspondence and Papers

The Cotton Control Board, Manchester, was established on 28 June 1917 to administer the orders that the Board of Trade made under the Defence of the Realm Regulations for the control of the cotton industry. In 1919 these controls were ended, but the board continued in existence as the Cotton Reconstruction Board to advise the government on questions of reconstruction.

To assist its working, the board took 8 censuses of the industry, the records of which form the bulk of this series. Censuses 1-3 and 5-8 called for returns from every cotton firm of the number of bales of various cottons in stock on the census date, and the number consumed during the previous six months and in the previous week. They also called for the numbers of looms and spindles running, and for the quantities of yarn in stock, and used in the previous week. Censuses 1 to 3 were held on 30 June 1917, 27 October 1917 and 2 February 1918, and 5 to 8 on 27 April 1918, 27 July 1918, 12 October 1918 and 11 January 1919. Census 4, held on 9 February 1918 enquired into the stocks of various flours, starches, fats and oils, and called for estimates of consumption over the next six months. A census subsidiary to No. 2, but held on the same day, called for numbers of bales of various cottons in stock, and received, consumed, resold or returned during the previous four months. For all the censuses except 4 there are statistical summaries. For 4, 7 and 8 the original returns survive. For the others there are entered up cards for each firm.