DUMPING IN BRITAIN

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1931, Page 12

DUMPING IN BRITAIN

X ANTICIPATION OF TARIFF SWAMPING THE MARKETS. “CLEAR AT ANY COST.” (New Zealand Herald. Correspondent.) London, Nov. 5. ’ Foreign manufacturers are intensifying their efforts to swamp the British market in anticipation of a tariff. Germany, Switzerland, Polamj, Belgium, Franca and America are shipping goods into Britain at an unprecedented rate. Many Thames wharves and warehouses are already filled, to capacity, and forwarding agents are working days behind schedule. Importers are sending frantic appeals to their agents to clear the goods at once, whatever the cost. More and. bigger cargo vessels are being put on all the Continental trade routes. It is reported that foreign firms are now doing everything in their power to speed up the clearances of goods from bond in British ports. “No haggling over customs valuations and dues—clear at any cost, is the latest slogan. The intensification of imports is particularly heavy in clocks and toys from Germany and Switzerland. These are coming in in quantities three or foul times as great as usual —quite apart from the normal pre-Christmas increase. Thousands of pounds’ worth of woollen goods from Poland and tinned meats from America are unable to find accommodation in London warehouses- —there is no room- for them. Similar difficulty is being experienced with silk, from Lyons, vast quantities of which are pouring into the country. FOREIGN BUTTER SHIPMENTS. Great activity is being shown by Continental butter exporters, and, notwithstanding the lateness of the season, vast quantities of foreign supplies are being sent to Britain. .During the fortnight ended October 24 no fewer than ,141,<J28cwt of foreign butter, in the main Continental, were landed at the chief ports. . Soviet butter dumpers have been particularly active. During the week ended October 24, they landed 18,691 cwt, and last week a further 8958 cwt arrived. The Soviet has sent us during the first nine months of the year 271,812 cwt, which is 106,361 cwt more than during the whole of last year. An authority competent to judge the trade and shipping barometer, says he considers that in the last five or six weeks—th e period of the intensification of the dumping flood—Britain has paid out weekly between three and four million sterling more than normally, on manufactured goods from Europe alone. In addition, very large quantities .of manufactured goods have been arriving from tho United States. GOODS FROM MANY COUNTRIES. According to the expert, shipping which arrived in London during the past six weeks or two months has been at least 25 or "30 per cent, above the normal, and on occasions it has been much more. Among general cargoes unloaded at Swansea docks during the past few days have been cases of tombstones, Christmas trees, toys anil household goods from Hamburg and Ghent; and cargoes of Continental goods discharged at Hull included 10,000 cases of iron and steel and manufactured steel goods, including machinery, chiefly from Germany and Belgium. Eight ships were- discharging such cargoes at one time. The Hull quays are at present stocked from end to end with potatoes from Holland, Poland, Hamburg, Bremen and Rotterdam. Cotton manufactured goods to the value of £22,W0 have come from the United States, Holland and Germany, while three boats have arrived at Hartlepool from Petrograd with a huge quantity of deal boards and battens. THE MEAT TRADE. At ordinary times Denmark sendß Britain 100,000 pigs a week. A fortnight ago the Danes .sent 100,000 pigs in a week, and the following week 135,000. Bacon has been selling at 5d and Gd a lb. Poland also caught the dumping fever and sent 31,OQOcwt of bacon. Most of this came to London, and some of it changed hands at 2d per lb, The Dominions are able to supply all the imported mutton and lamb that is required in this country, but the amount of Uruguay and Argentine mutton and lamb is likely to be large. “It seems the South American exporters are prepared to send their stuff here regardless of the price it might fetch,” was the comment of a prominent Smithfield buyers.. Australian mutton and lamb is not available in large quantity yet, but there are large supplies on the water, and 3,000,000 carcases are expected this season. Australian lamb is selling at 6£d a lb, but those who buy ahead could probably get it for 5d a lb. <New Zealand lamb is at 8d a lb. Although this has a market of its own, it is affected by the lower prices of South American and Australian, and there appears to be some likelihood of a slight fall in prices in the next few months. During the week ended October 30, 24 timber-laden vessels, including four from Russia, arrived at London. They all took advantage of the summer load-line conditions, which enabled them to carry large deck cargoes. On October .31, the last day on which the summer line was in operation, no fewer than 13 timberladen vessels discharged in the Surrey Commercial Docks. Theiri cargoes included 13,086 gates and doors, 13,995 oak staves, 2786 loads of sleepers, 33,045 bundles and packages of box board, 10,178 bundles of laths and 292,255 pieces of deal battens and boards. Since' the mail left England an emergency tariff to check abnormal imports has been imposed.