BRITISH WOOL INQUIRY

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6889, 20 April 1929, Page 12

BRITISH WOOL INQUIRY

Conflicting Statements OPPOSITION TO SAFEGUARDING Important evidence as to the steady and serious decline in Britain’s consumption of wool, parallel with an increase in the world’s production, was given before the Board of Trade Committee inquiring into the application for the safeguarding of the wool and worsted industry. This evidence was presented in the last stage of the case for tho applicants by Mr. W. Walter Andrews, who has been in the wool trade for 57 years. He was for three years president of the British Wool Federation, and is now a member of tno executive of that body.

“There is less wool carried over at the end of each year now than was the case pre-war,” Said Mr. Andrews, “which proves that there has been no reduction in the world’s demand and the consumption of wool for textile purposes. We are so near to th*c sheep’s back now that tliere is no accumulation.” From 1920 to 1921, he continued, there was considerable decrease in Britain’s consumption. It fell from 842,600,0001 b.. in theNfive years, 1910-14 to 090,400,0001 b. in the live years, 24. That decrease had been further dceeniuatcd in the last three years for which figures were available, 1025,27, the consumption dropping to 000,000.0001 b.

In reply to questions, Mr. Andrews said there wns more production of wool now than ever in the history of the world. “There is, moreover,” he 3aid, “an increase in tho world’s demand for wool compared with pre-war.” In opening the case fo rlhe opposition in a speech lasting nearly four hours, Mr. Coinvns Carr handed in a list of opponents, which included two firms of export merchants, 14 of manufacturers, 11 of merchants, two of clothing manufacturers, one of mantle manufacturers, and one of yarn spinners. Concerning foreign competition in the homo market, he said that if they accepted statistics as they stood there could be no doubt that there was no normal importation here at all. What had really happened was that disturbances on the Continent concutions due in France directly to the total or partial destruction of maclunery during tho war, due in Germany to other circumstances arising from post-war events—particularly inflation —prevented France until 19-o al jd Germany until 1926 from resuming to any substantial extent the position of exporters which they occupied before the war. To-day neither of them had got back to that position. Very little attempt had been mado bv the applicants, said the speaker, to link up employment .with foreign competition. That was the point at which the applicants’ claim on unemployment broke down. To an wflinitcly greater degree the unemployment m the woollen and worsted industry was Caused bv the falling off in export trade than by increase in import trade.