British Towel Manufacturers' Association

Minutes 1932-43.

The British Towel Manufacturers' Association was originally set up as the Manchester District Towel Manufacturers' section of the Federation of British Industries in March 1932, to present a case for an increase in the 10 per cent tariff to the Import Duties Advisory Committee. In June 1932 the section accepted an FBI offer to provide facilities for the forming and working of a Towel Manufacturers' group inside the Federation. By 1941, the group claimed it represented 95 per cent of towel manufacturers in the United Kingdom.

At the request of the government the organisation formed an export group in April 1940, to simplify the allocation of raw materials to towel manufacturers. The membership and committee constitution of the export group was virtually the same as that of the main group, and minutes of the export group meetings are recorded in the same volume.

In October 1942 the committee of the Towel Manufacturers' group decided to transform the group into a separate trade association, with its own funds, and wished to introduce a membership fee and a levy (not to exceed 6d. per loom). These recommendations were put to the Annual General Meeting of August 1943, but the decision of the meeting is not recorded.

Reference: Alan Crookham, Michael Wilcox, Christine Woodland and Richard Storey, 'The Confederation of British Industry and predecessor archives' (Coventry: University of Warwick Library, 1997).

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

This collection was deposited in the Centre by the CBI in 1979.

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/BTM

Any significant work based on use of the archive must be submitted to the CBI prior to publication.

Material for the archive was selected in conjunction with the CBI's records management service.

Further deposits are not expected.

The Centre holds the following records of the Confederation of British Industry's predecessors : the British Employers' Confederation (MSS.200/B), the Federation of British Industries (MSS.200/F); and the National Association of British Manufacturers (MSS.200/N). It also holds the records of a number of related organisations. These include: the British Dextrine Manufacturers' Association (MSS.200/BDMA), the British Industrial Measuring and Control Apparatus Manufacturers' Association (MSS.200/BIMCAM), the Committee of British Employers Operating Abroad (MSS.200/BEOA), the Dollar Exports Council (MSS.200/DEC), the India (Pakistan &) Burma Association (MSS.200/IPBA), the Joint Committee on India (MSS.200/JCI), the Lancashire and District Trade Effluent Committee (MSS.200/LDTE), the National Industrial Organisation (MSS.200/NIO), the NEDC Liaison Group (MSS.200/NEDC), the Trade Board (Employers') Consultative Council (MSS.200/TB); and the Traders' Co-ordinating Committee on Transport (MSS.200/TCC).