JAPANESE TRADE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22125, 1 December 1933, Page 9

JAPANESE TRADE

MARKETS IN THE EMPIRE STRIKING STATISTICS (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, November 29. Striking figures regarding Japanese trade with Britain and the Empire were given during a discussion in the House of Commons on a private member’s motion, in which Captain Fuller urged the Government to take steps to minimise Japanese competition, in connection with which, he said, nothing adequate had yet been done. He declared that Japan’s exports had increased by 96 per cent, in the first six months of 1933. Japan had sent 30,000,000 square yards of cotton to Kenya and Uganda compared with Britain’s 5,000,000. Japanese bicycles were selling in parts of the Far East at 21s each, electric bulbs at Is 6d a dozen, lead pencils at Is lOd a gross, and fountain pens at 3d each. Japan in the past 12 years had subsidised her shipping companies to the extent of £18,000,000. Major Proctor said that if Japanese competition was not checked there would be no Lancashire cotton industry left after four years. The whole of the Empire and the Western world were alarmed because the people’s standard of life was threatened by Japanese competition. Sir Arthur Samuel said that Lancashire had lost five-sevenths of its prewar export trade chiefly owing to the collapse of Indian trade and Japanese competition. The chief causes of Japan's success were lower wages and automatic looms. The Japanese cotton industry was a highly efficient organisation, while that of Lancacshire was a loose mass of unorganised entities. The only way to recover international trade was by concentration on a reduction of costs. Japan’s subsidies and currency restrictions were illegitimate, and her competition must he counteracted.

BRITAIN AND HOLLAND. CO-OPERATION PROPOSED. THE HAGUE, November 29. The Federation of British Industries and the" Dutch Employers’ Federation intend conferring on December 2 with a view to English and Dutch co-opera-tion against Japanese competition in India and Europe. POSITION IN LANCASHIRE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 29. (Received Nov. 30, at 5.5 p.m.) Speaking in the House of Commons during the debate on the effect on export trade of Japanese competition, Sir Walter Runciman said that the Government for a very long time had been kept fully informed of the position in Lancashire. When the question was last before the House the Government expressed itself in favour of an attempt being made by the industrialists themselves in the first place, and it had been justified by what had happened in India during the last four months. The fall of imports of English cloths into India was one of the greatest problems to be faced. The Indian boycott was now over and Lancashire was about to regain some portion of the market she had lost. Fortunately the industrialists who went to India were able to reach an agreement with the cotton producers. Japan was a very large importer into India, and the imports had been going up year by year. The Indian Government was very much alive to the situation, and was in closest consultation with representatives of Japan. If there had been any delay in these negotiations it had not been the fault of the British Government.

Referring to unfair competition, based on the infringement of designs and trademarks, Mr Runciman said this was, a matter which gave cause for a good deal of trouble, not in this country so much as elsewhere. In some portions of the British Empire, however, goods had been imported from Japan. bearing British names and British trade marks. That was a form of dishonesty which any Government ought to do its best to suppress. If it was necessary to take steps the Government was prepared to take them, but he hoped that by making representations the necessary impression would be made on the minds of those in control of Japanese commercial affairs. He could not see that there would be any advantage to the Lancashire industry if they began, as was suggested in some quarters, by abrogating the AngloJapanese treaty, which affected some 30 other countries in the British Empire. He preferred first to exhaust all other means, but if they found it necessary to renounce the treaty then he would consider the whole subject from a different point of view, and with quite a different intent.