COTTON GOODS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23970, 21 May 1941, Page 10

COTTON GOODS

ORDERS HELD .UP PROCEDURE IN BRITAIN Clothing manufacturers and other importers of cotton piece goods still await full clarification of. the British export situation, which, according to air mail advices received this week, cannot he fully determined until the organisation scheme for the whole industry has been completed. In the; meantime many of their orders are unaccepted. It was stated in communications that at the end of April, owing to the shortage of raw cotton and the need to maintain supplies to about 140 mills heavily engaged in Government work, it had been necessary to withhold raw cotton from some 60 mills, many of which had been compelled to close. It was also disclosed that the British Cotton Board had advised British export merchants that they would be notified of their export trade allocations market by market covering a period ended on March 31. Application could then be made for export licences. Under these licences export would no doubt begin by shipping goods which were already in stock or in production for early delivery. Some merchants advised their Auckland customers that they expected the allocations would be issued early in .June. Simultaneously with the issue of allocations, the Cotton Board would notify exporters of the total quantity of cotton piece goods which they could purchase up to August 31 for export purposes. The date from which buying, allocations would operate would be announced later. The Cotton Board admitted to British merchants that the procedure would impose a further temporary standstill on the placing of new orders. It regretted the situation, but the procedure outlined was the only method that would prevent a still graver situation arising if exporters were to commit themselves to orders which the in-1 dustry could not fulfil. ;