AUSTRALIA'S CHANCE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 197, 24 September 1914, Page 5

AUSTRALIA'S CHANCE.

REPLACING GERMAN COTTONS. WIDE FIELD OF EMPLOYMENT. Outside woollen piece goods and woollen apparel, the German factories send or used to send to Australia a great quantity of cotton goods, which interfered greatly with the production of the commoner lines of woollen cloth in this country (says the Sydney "Sun"). These goods, admitted free from the United Kingdom under the preferential tariff, and at a nominal duty of 5 per cent, from foreign countries, were fashioned to be an imitation of wool, and their sale by importing houses became a substitute for the sale of cloth made from wool. JThey are cheap lines, and are readily bought instead of the less expensive woollens. The German factories made a specialty of this kind of cloth, putting it into competition with the cheaper woollen materials from Britain in all parts of the world; and the Australian market has regularly received its share. PIECE GOODS.

" At one time the Australian tariff contained a provision that piece goods, though made of cotton, should bear the higher duty which attaches to woollen goods if they were an imitation, of the latter. This proposal would have opened for Australian factories a great opportunity to operate in the wide market for cheap material, but it was not maintained. Parliament decided to leave these goods under the heading of cotton, which is admitted free (except for the 5 per cent. made necessary by the preferential tariff) in consonance with the let-alone policy which has made_ no serious attempt to establish any phase of the cotton industry in Australia. Should an endeavour be made to re? place such goods by woollens of Australian the country abroad which would chiefly be affected is Germany. The enemy's exports of cotton and linen piece goods to Australia in 1912 were valued at £144,000. In addition there were many other lines of cotton goods which to a greater or less extent could be replaced by wool, giving the opportunity to Australian mills to increase very rapidly their total output and to provide steady employment for Australian workmen.

One expert in the woollen trade, who has had lifelong experience both in Yorkshire and in Australia, makes the calculation that if* Australian woollens were made to fill the market which at present is,held by cotton goods simulating woollen materials, a total of 10,000 employees could be added to those already engaged in the mills of the Commonwealth. To a very great extent :he trade which would thus be eaptured would be that which has hitherto belonged to Germany. BELGIAN COTTON.

If no attempt were made to retain within our own shores the industry which war has taken away from Germany,, a preponderating part of it would go either to Great Britain-or to Britain 's allies. For example, Belgium sends to Australia every year nearly £IOO,OOO worth of cotton piece goods, and from the neutral country of Switzerland we receive almost as much as from Germany. In pursuing its enquiries into this and kindred questions, the Sydney'' Sun'' has occasionally met with the contention,both from importers and from manufacturers, that the profit of capturing Germany's trade should not be seized by Australia, but that we should try to divert the tide of German trade to Britain or Britain's allies. This attitude seems to be founded on Imperial sympathies, but it makes the queer assumption that Australia is less a part of the Empire than Britain. Prosperity in Australia is just as much Imperial prosperity as is activity in the mills of Yorkshire or Lancashire. Moreover, it should be remembered that Australia, though it has been.a valuable customer to Germany, constituted after all only a small portion of Germany's oversea market. In the concerted attack which the whole world will make on the trade Germany has lost, Britain, will look to Asia and to South America as well as to her own dominions; and there will be plenty of room for Great Britain's expansion, as well as room for Australia to undertake as far as possible the supplying of her own needs. AUSTRALIAN MILLS.

It appears that - the mills of the Commonwealth could, if the proper.encouragement were given, be kept busy and increased in number very greatly, if the market for the cheaper woolleu goods were kept free from the competition of cheap German cottons, or cheap cottons like those which Germany has been sending. Some of the Australian mills already have the machinery and the men necessary to fill such a market. Others would have to be equipped, and if new mills were started not only machinery but men.also would have to be imported. The policy of obtaining expert workmen from abroad ought not to arouse antagonism, so long as -its purpose is to provide rising industries with expert workmen who wi.ll teach others, and will permanently establish the chance «f employment for Australians. In every country which has rapidly increased its manufacturing ability, this policy has proved the most advantageous. It is quite different from the importation of cheap labour, and every political administration in Australia has from time to time permitted the engagement abroad of workmen whose mission it was to operate in factories where their skill would mean the employment of Australians beside them. The case of the Australian woollen mills at Marrickville may be cited. When this company began operations, permission was given to it for the engagement of a number of expert workmen from England. Its specialty is in the manufacture of serges of high quality, -and it undertakes all the processes of manufacture from the raw wool through the worsted yarn to the finished article. From its inception it was able to employ Australians in the proportion of three to one of the men brought from overseas, and it now has 400 employees in steady work at good wages.