THE COTTON INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 24, 28 July 1930, Page 9

THE COTTON INDUSTRY

EFFECT OF INDIAN BOYCOTT

ON TRADE

ORGANISATION NEEDED

British Official Wireless. EUGBY, 25th July, j During a debato in the House of! Commons last night the President of the Board of Trade, Mr. W. Graham, referring to the position of the Lancashire cotton trade, said that the boycott of cottou goods in . India had brought a large part of that trade to a standstill, and conditions in the Far East had aggravated the position. Mr. Graham referred to the more recent- report of the Cotton luquiry, which recommended that amalgamations and co-operative organisations should be set on a good basis. One of the greatest tragedies of the sotton trade, Mr. Graham said, had been tho segregation of different parts of the industry, che necossity of those parts which were relatively strong financially to come to the assistaneo of other parts which greatly .needed help. ELEMENT OP COMPTJXSION. Mr. Graham's, question was whether tho necessary organisation for these different sections could be made on tho basis which the report suggested without bringing in an element of compulsion. At present tho Government was most anxious that a Joint Committee representative of the emplnym-s and the trade unions in industry should proceed as rapidly as po t .si ile with an analysis of tho report, and with the consideration of every step which could be taken to give effect to its recommendations. The Government preferred that the Lancashire cotton industry should do' this voluntarily without legislative interference. Legislation of that kind, howover, would be necessary in the regrettable failure of tho effort to promote fusion on tho Jines of what had been done in other industries in this country. The "Manchester Guardian" advises the cotton trade to take note of this speech. "We share Mr. Graham's hope that it will not be necessary to invoke any legislation to deal with problems which are generally best solved by those actively engaged in the industry, but it rests entirely with the industry to prove, that it can manage its own affairs without outside assistance."

Various sections of the cotton trade are now discussing the committee's report.