This new method of working opened the way for many important innovations. It was found that the makers of pattern hats could be taught to weave many different styles and in almost every case it was only necessary for the middle men to take the sample hats around ie villages and the workers were lo to reproduce them without, Jdificulty. It was also possible to make experiments with various Jotker kinds of imported material. In the year 1918 the Olivier Ca. decided "to import Manila hemp.'
is being so very much finer than the rush used hitherto it was found that come instruction of the workers iwas necessary.
The two best of the sample hat-makers wore sent down to Ma-ulla for three months where at one of the big Manila hat factories they acquired the art of weaving with the fine hemp. On their return to Ningpo they did a tour of the villages in a houseboat and gave gratuitous instruction to any woman who wished to learn to weave hals of this new material. between weaving ish and Manila' of women who had proficiency weaving hats seems to have been remarkably great. In the year 1906 the Compagnie Olivier discovered that the Ningpo rush hat when washed and pressed and suitably' Blocked, had_a commercial value for export, Instead of establishing hat factory they adopted the method of developing the home industry in the villages and collecting, the hats through middle men.
'The success of this method was amazing. No instruction of the workers was necessary for, the manufacture of simply woven' Lats. Variations in size presented difficulties to the village workers; all the required variations in shape could be got by blocking. The industry became an increasing source of income to the village women, and the art of hat weaving was rapidly, required by greater numbers and mothers. A passed on to the children by their hemp may be imagined when it is pointed out that a skilled woman can weave 14 or 15 rush hats jone day whereas it takes five or six days to complete one hat of Manila hemp. The growing fac among the village women to weave in Manila hemp has led to the industry to are jute from Tientsin, word shave 13, chip cord and chip yarn from! Japan, raffia from Madagascar, palm fibre from Bangkok, wheat [straw and artificial silk from Italy.
Pattern hats in th: se various materials are made and sent to the Company's agents in all the centres lof the world, orders are then received. by the Ca' office in Ningpo and, Jexccuted in the homes of the villagers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.