WOOLLEN TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 2, 2 July 1938, Page 11

WOOLLEN TRADE

ENGLAND SUFFERS

FOREIGN SUBSIDIES

Speaking at a meeting of the Dewsbury Chamber of Commerce on the recent annual meeting of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, which he attended along with Mr. E. C. Burnley and Mr. C. S. Woolridge, the president (Mr. W. E. Gundill, 0.8. E.) said that one discussion which was of some interest to the Dewsbury district was on the unfair methods adopted by certain foreign countries whereby exporters were granted a substantial subsidy which not only nullified the effect of tariffs, but gave an additional advantage to the exporter abroad, reports the "Dewsbury Reporter." Our Government was urged to make representations to other Governments against this unfair method of trading. Mr. Gundill observed that this was a serious matter, particularly for the woollen trade. As one of the! speakers pointed out, the Yorkshire' manufacturer could hold his own and even beat other manufacturers in different parts of the world, but he could not stand up against that sort of competition. It was pointed out in the discussion that one-third of the firms who j were in business in 1914 had gone out' of business, and it was probably true that 50 firms of woollen manufacturers between them did not show a profit of 1 per cent, on their capital during the last ten years. Yet, at the same time, cloth was being heavily imported into the London market from Italy and Germany, more particularly Italy. Sir Granville Gibson, who had been elected president of the association, gave figures showing that the subsidy varied from 8 to 42 per cent., according to the position of the trades concerned. A suggestion was made that a case should be presented to the Import Duties Advisory Committee asking for a revision of the tariffs, something on the lines of that adopted by the U.S.A., so that in addition to the flat rate of tariff, where a country was found to be giving a subsidy to its exporters, an additional tariff on these goods should be imposed by the amount of the subsidy. "What struck me about this discussion," added Mr. Gundill, "was that it was the first time and the only time that anything had been said about the difficulties of the woollen manufacturers. It seemed to me that the people were shocked that the woollen textile industry should be in such a difficult position." JAPANESE RENAME TOWNS. The secretary (Mr. C. L. W. Nicholson) said that perhaps members might have noticed that the Japanese had renamed some of their towns in order that they could mark some of their goods "Made in England," the England referred to being the name of a Japanese town. Other towns in Japan had been given English names. The president said that he had seen some goods marked "Equal to English Manufacture." All sorts of ways were being adopted to take advantage of English prestige. Mr. E. C. Burnley said that the suggestion to present a case to the Imports Advisory Committee was about the best suggestion that had been made. The president said that their experience was that the Imports Duty Advisory Committee had always listened very sympathetically to any suggestion which had been made to them. That chamber had approached the committee on certain occasions, and their case had always received eyery attention. But he thought that if some of the members of the trade in London were more interested in British trade, than- in mere cost, it would probably, be possible to sell much more of our own cloth in London.