1. A pneumatic control mechanism for looms comprising in combination with plural reciprocatory weave pattern control elements on a loom, a corresponding number of frictionless pneumatic actuators for said control elements to shift the same selectively in one longitudinal direction against resistive means, each pneumatic actuator comprising a cylinder body connected directly to one of said control elements and extending axially thereof, the cylinder body having a bore including a closed end wall adjacent the control element, the opposite end of the bore remote from the control element being open to atmosphere, each pneumatic actuator further comprising a fixed tube extending centrally and axially into the bore of the cylinder body and spaced from the walls of the cylinder body and having an open discharge end in spaced opposed relation to said closed end wall of the cylinder body, there being an annular space surrounding said fixed tube and between the tube and side wall of the cylinder body, whereby pressurized air from the tube can flow reversely around the tube and through the open end of the cylinder body to atmosphere, a pneumatic punched data tape read head, means to advance a punched data tape in stepped increments through the read head in synchronism with the pick cycle of the loom, pneumatic admission means connected with the read head and synchronized with the pick cycle of the loom and operable to produce pneumatic data outputs through selected apertures of the punched data tape at each dwell of the tape in said read head, and pneumatic data output tubes connected with and leading from the read head and extending to said pneumatic actuators, said output tubes each connected with one of said fixed tubes of the pneumatic actuators to deliver pneumatic data pulses thereto.

2. A pneumatic control mechanism for looms comprising a pneumatic punched data tape read head, said read head including a pair of opposed housing sections defining an internal pneumatic chamber, said chamber having a through passage for a punched data tape, said tape having rows of apertures, means to advance said tape through said passage and chamber in stepped increments synchronized with the pick cycle of the loom, pneumatic admission means connected with one of said housing sections and being synchronized with the pick cycle of the loom and operable to admit pneumatic pulses into said chamber, an apertured elastic diaphragm spanning said chamber and having margins clamped between said housing sections, the apertures of the diaphragm arranged in rows and adapted to register with selected apertures of said tape upon each dwell of the tape in said chamber, said diaphragm engaging one side of the tape sealingly and clampingly when each pneumatic pulse is admitted to said chamber by said pneumatic admission means and while said tape is at a dwell with selected apertures thereof in registration with apertures of said diaphragm, the wall of one housing section remote from the diaphragm and adjacent said tape also having rows of apertures aligned with the apertures of the diaphragm, said elastic diaphragm inflatIng and sealingly contacting said wall of the housing section remote from the diaphragm when each pneumatic pulse is admitted to said chamber, pneumatic data output tubes connected with the apertures in said wall of the housing section remote from the diaphragm, and a corresponding number of frictionless pneumatic actuators for weave pattern control elements of the loom connected with said pneumatic data output tubes and operated by pneumatic data pulses transmitted through the output tubes.