JAPAN’S TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22242, 5 November 1937, Page 10

JAPAN’S TEXTILE INDUSTRY

“Biggest Exporter In The World” THREAT SEEN TO OTHER NATIONS “Japan is now the biggest exporter of textile piece-goods in the world. Ii the last 20 years her textile industry has gone ahead tremendously, and by competition she has threatened and will continue to threaten other exporting nations in the world. What the outcome' will be nobody knows.”

This statement was made by an American, Mr G. C. Urquhart, of Providence, Rhode Island, when he was interviewed in Christchurch yesterday. Mr Urquhart is connected with the • sale of textile machinery, and he makes repeated visits to Japan. He was there shortly before the outbreak of the present conflict with China. When he was asked to speak of the conflict, however, he explained that he had to go back, and declined to comment. Japan was a country of very high aims and ambitions and had made outstanding strides in industry, he said. She was exporting vast quantities of textiles to all parts of the world, and the menace of her flood of goods was being met by political opposition in almost every quarter. It was impossible to foretell Jthe outcome of this heavy exportation and competition. “Japanese mills have as up-to-date equipment now as any in the world,” he added, “and these are able to produce at their tremendous rate because of the definitely efficient labour, the cheapness of the labour and of the workmen’s living conditions, and because of the efficiency of their modern machinery.”