BETTER MACHINERY

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 113, 6 February 1936, Page 9

BETTER MACHINERY

Japanese Cotton Industry

EFFORTS BY LANCASHIRE London, February. 4. That Japan is beating.the Lancashire cotton industry was; the theme of an outspoken speech by Sir Walter Preston in the House oE Commons on the second reading of the Cotton Spinning Industry Bill. . . , Sir Walter said it was an undoubted fact that foreign competitors, Japan particularly, had far more modern and more efficient machinery than Lancashire. The Japanese business was growing while Britain’s was steadily sinking. If Lancashire were given the same machinery as Japan was using and worked on mass production lines, with a more modern marketing organisation, the Lancashire operatives, who were more efficient, could beat Japan in the whole of the Empire markets. Several of the Lancashire mills had been re-equipped recently and Lancashire would be able shortly to publish to the wide world the fact that shecould compete. He then anticipated an inflow 'of capital that would reequip the greater part of the mills of Lancashire and Britain would be in a! position to win back part if not the whole of the markets lost to Japan. The Rt. Hon. J. R. Clynes, in moving the rejection of the Bill, said that the trade unions were hostile because of lack of consideration for the position of the displaced operatives. He also objected to scrapping machinery which might be utilised in future years.