Chinese Cloth Undercuts Western Woollens

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30395, 20 March 1964, Page 12

Chinese Cloth Undercuts Western Woollens

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, March 18.

The long-term fears of the woollen textile industry were exemplified in Bradford by the display of three samples of worsted cloth made in China which had just been brought back from New Zealand, “The Times” reported

The samples were of

cloth which is being offered on the New Zealand market at 15s lid a yard delivered, but without duty paid.

“The Times” said that officials of the Wool Textiles Exports Corporation estimate that British cloth of the same type on the same market would cost 245, and that the price would even undercut

the Japanese by about 4s a

yard. The samples—which were described as being “not good, but not bad, either”—were brought to Bradford by a member of the corporation who had been on a selling mission to New Zealand.

“The Times” northern correspondent said that this is only the second time that Chinese-made woollen cloth has been seen in a traditional English market, and that leaders of the industry in Britain now fear they may have to face yet another formidable

competitor with low production costs.

Mr J. Douglas Hood, chairman of the corporation, said: “We know very little about developments in the Chinese woollen industry, but we are certainly surprised to see that they have reached this stage so quickly.”