COTTON MATERIALS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 42, 18 August 1942, Page 3

COTTON MATERIALS

BRITISH EXPORT SITUATION

While British exporters are anxious to keep going and improve their overseas trades in cotton piece goods and allied lines they are experiencing considerable difficulty in doing so. Correspondence of a large export house with its New Zealand clients discloses that "more'people are being frustrated in their efforts, to keep business going. Probably this is more pror nounced amongst agents and mer- i chants than in the producing sections; | but owing to the loss of ground re-; cently experienced by many spinners and manufacturers there now seems to •be mpre resentment against control measures, the filling up of forms and general regimentation. "Ministers of the-Government are .not losing any opportunity of emphasising the need for control of industry, for a few years at any rate after the end of the , war. There is ground' for believing, however, that because of recent developments the spirit of individualism tends to become more active although it cannot become fully expressed during the war period. "It is quite common for traders to state that they are prepared to put up with a lot of things whilst the fighting is going on, but it is by no .means certain that there will be complacent acquiescence towards control when a military armistice has been signed. "Gradually more people are being hurt as a result of necessary measures to win the war, but there cannot be any resistance against authority until victory is assured. Although the general policy of Government interference may be sound, there is plenty of room for criticism as to the methods adopted to carry out the desires of the Government. It has certainly been a surprise to many people to find the trade > position deteriorating from week to week. There is a feeling that more cotton goods are necessary for the war effort, but that in some way or another the fullest advantage (is not being taken of the services being rendered by the industry. "During the last couple of months the members of the Cotton Board and the Controller have spent a large amount of time in planning the production and distribution of goods on a more equitable basis. Some of these plans are being put into effect and it is hoped that they will have the desired result."