BIG TARGETS SET

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22438, 19 September 1947, Page 5

BIG TARGETS SET

WOOLLEN_ OUTPUT PIECE GOODS HIGHEST MINISTER'S OUTLINE (10 a.m.) LONDON. Sept. 18. The President of the Board of Trade, Sir Stafford Cripps, addressing both sides of the wool textiles industry at Bradford on the industry’s export tasks, said that each of the four main divisions of wool manufactures, namely, tops, yarns, tissues and blankets, and carpets had been their set export task. Sir Stafford Cripps said the tops export task for the middle of 1948 would be at the rate of £9,000,000 annually, or £750,000 a month, and for the end of 1948 £11,000,000 annually, or £900,000 a month. The value of the tops exports in 1946 •was £4,900,000 and for the seven months of 1947 at the rate of £6,700,000 a year. Dealing with yarn, Sir Stafford Cripps said this industry had been only able to build up its labour force to 80 per cent of the pre-war level. The task would be £550,000 a month for the middle of 1948 and the same for the end of 1948, compared with £500,000 in the first quarter of 1946. Huge Increase Required Dealing with piece goods (tissues), including blankets. Sir Stafford Cripps said that during the first seven months of 1947 the annual rate of export had been about 51,000,000 linear yards, but this would have to be increased to 200,000,000 by the middle of 1948 and 130,000,000 as soon as possible afterwards. The task figures were £5,100,000 for the middle of 1948 and £6,550,000 by the end of 1948. The piece goods task would require a sustained and concerted effort from all manufacturers and merchants. The increase would involve a series of reductions of supplies to the hpme market unless there was a substantial increase in the total output.

The target for carpets would be £600,000 by the middle of 1948 and £700,000 by the end of 1948, compared with £400,000 on the first quarter of 1946.