SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20411, 4 December 1931, Page 11

SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

ANTICIPATION OF TARIFFS. INCREASING EMPLOYMENT. CrBOM OUB OWW COBBISPOHDZHT.) LONDON, October 30. Since the pound went oif the gold standard and something akin to a general tariff has been in force, there has been a good deal of evidence of renewed trade and increasing employment. From Leeds cohujs the news that quite recently many firms have received orders ensuring work for thousands of tkilled operatives, which will run well into the New Year. The outlook for the wool textile industry, ia fact, ia brighter than for years past, and already there is talk of a permanent revival. The noticeable improvement is not confined to any one section of tho trade. This is the story of a firm in the East End which manufactures women's ciresses. "We used to get our cloth from Germany,' 1 said tho manager. ••The last time"we enquired as to prices the German firm demanded payment in dollars. This meant an increase of 2a per cent, to us. We looked about At home for what we wanted,, and we found it. The price is an increase op our previous price, but it is certainly not an increase of 25 per cent. The British firm got our order, and that means employment for a fair number of people. Ot.hera have had to do what we did." * The Caerau Colliery, Cardiff, normally giving employment to 2000 men, has been restarted after a stoppage of many months. Men are being taken on as quickly as places can be found for them. Tho North British Rubber Company, whose large Castle Mill works in the centre of Edinburgh's industrial quarter normally employ upwards of 5000 workers, has never ceased taking new orders for goods since the foreigner was faced with depreciation of tho £. Five _ thousand workers who but a fortnight ago were working short time, and who were facing all kinds of rumours to the effect that still shorter ti-ne, and possibly unemployment, were to come, are now working to the utmost capacity to meet the new demand.

The Woollen Trade. Border tweed and hosiery manufacturers are making for the United States of America with all apood to negotiate large contracts. Mr William Watson, organiser t£ the Scottish National Developgnent Council, who is closely iji tfflich with the general situation, says: "It is the greatest opportunity which has been given to the woollen industry iij Scotland for years." The possibility of the imposition of British tariffs also haft brightened the position eptheT and important negotiations are now taking place between trade representatives in tho West of Scptlan4 and overseas manufacturers with a view to •tho manufacture on' the Clyde of highly specialised products #t manufactured abroad. One of the most significant result? of tho mere prospect of a British tariff is the increasing demand from faretgc manufacturers for factory sites ill tfti* country. In a letter which has af>* • peuroil widely in the Press, Messrs Leopold Farmer and Sons, a well-known London firm of estate agents, said thai within thq last, few weeks they have received no fewer than 150 definite applications for £aetofie§, Pf factory sites,, from .business eajieefna. abroad. "Enquiries have corae," the? say, "from America, France, Germ*iy» Belgium, and Scandinavia, thns sfa9W» ing that once dumping is stopped for* eign manufacturers will he quick to set up their works here, rather than Joß® the British m^rljet."

Testimony foy Tariffa Sir HSerbert Austin, chairman ofthe Austin Motor Company, « . meeting at Birmingham, said: '•We have been fortunate in being able to work under the protection ot the. McKennji duties, .find there is »o doubt that it is owing to tips f4«t that pur progress hfifi been so consistent and rapid. Had those duties not been reinstated on July Ist, 1925. the Aostin Company w<mfd certainly not bo in the happy position it is to-day. As showing that thw Unties taw no* acted, unf&vqurahly the home S«rehaser we hsjve fceen able, by «»• confidence which the duties b*f® pw "•> to reduce our selling pnce By eepp than 65 per cent, awes J? OT» into force, mi we mv%m* bvm w * considerable export trade. An interesting endorsement of W* Herbert eyidenco «s to .Wl effect of dutjes on indnsfciy w» supplied on October 13 th, te -tM •War," a Free Tradte erSMt-Ta rt» notes pa the Motor Show »• Qlffflpil it says : - . : . '•Ten \yeara ago the Motor Snow vided the majority, of. it* vjsjtom wrtfr an opportunity of admiring *w» WBfm of the mighty'; only a small prppprtW* of thosia who went could afford toJpP?|ut it is very different to-day. ¥>«" ilv cars Are obtainable at litw than #IOO, and there are at WWSfc * dozen welUequipped saloons at inqgr £2CHM' And again, "If cars W eome very much cheaper, t«?y a H® also improved in quality, in bjmip, Wg in road Compaiw with its pre-war priee it i# the 9ASIP* est commodity in the (pastry ; 9®d» 1 "There is no doubt about rt. There is a boom in export There ivill be plenty of 'fpraSß QW? .at the show, but it is on thf stands that the best bargains *W D* discovered" Most people know* that in many cases the prices of articles recently, protected by safeguarding duties fell > substantially durin'g the period WWfW by the duties. Only in the case of one industry—that of gas mantles did any aetual increase {afce piac®, and that for special reasons unconnected with the duty. Few_ people, however, are aware thai sine® the abolition of these duties? prices ip mnr®l cases remained the same as they were before the "abolition, while in some instances ' prices have aetnaljy been raised, One would natgr§py apeet, for example, that the pnee _pr safety razor blades would have fallen since the duty ceased to operate on December 2*2 nd last. The price of aU blades, however, remains practically the same as it was under the duty, while in at least one ease ifc pas Anally been raised. Again, in the caso of gas mantles, the duty on which alsj» ceased. to operate on December 22nd, the price per gross has been raised for several grades of mantle, thus, from 36s to 395, 39s to 41s 6d, 39s 6d to 425, 42s to 455. Such facts £q to phow how little the presence or absence of a duty can affect the selling price compared with the scale on which the article can be produced, a facto? which of necessity depends on the size of the market in which sales pan bo effected.