Alan,
Part way through EW production Douglas reversed the brake lever from pointing rearward to pointing forward to defeat the servo-action. Speculation is the front brake was prone to grabbing and possibly causing the dreaded front wheel skid. For whatever reason, they left it anti-servo from then on. Some rear brakes were still servo, unless the lever points down, then it too is anti-servo.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason to brake performance. Folks that have put far more milage on many more Douglases models than I say they have had decrepitly maintained brakes that were excellent and totally refurbished ones that were dismal, and every combination and shade of performance in between.
Woven or molded lining actually has little to do with it, a soft high coefficient of friction is more important. Some woven linings can be quite hard.
Having the lining perfectly circular just clear of the drum helps eliminate sponginess and maximize efficiency. There are several way to achieve this. The best is to have the lining glued to the band, but it is imperative it be expanded into the brake drum while the glue sets. Like a wood laminate glue-up, it tends to keep the shape it was in when the glue set. Then you can rivet the linings for extra security after the glue sets. If you just rivet the linings on, it is difficult to get the band to stay truly circular (they never really are.) So mount the band on the backing plate and advance the adjusters slightly. Lock in place and cut or grind the linings circular to the drum diameter. Back off each adjuster an equal amount to achieve the minimal running clearance.
Having a soft compound and ensuring all the lining surface comes into play is about all you can do. From about 1930 on, Douglas started to use cast iron drums which are stiffer than the pressed steel ones.
-Doug
[fix typo. 22Aug19 -Doug]
