ANILINE DYE TRADE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18073, 11 January 1921, Page 4

ANILINE DYE TRADE.

The British Government recently announced its readiness to protect the new English dye industry from German dumping by prohibiting all imports of dyestuffs. This English “key” industry of manufacturing synthetic aniline dyes, which was built up in war time, was lately threatened by German commercial agents, who offered dyes to English

business houses at prices 75 per cent below the offers of English makers. ' These cheaper German dyes were said to be generally as good as, and sometimes better than, the English article. So serious was the situation that the Government was urged to save the industry by passing, without delay, legislation, re-impbsing the licensing system. Since the war there has been a keen fight between Great Britain and Germany for the control of the dye markets. According to the “Financial News,” the few big British firms that controlled the dye interests' in England before the war, have now amalgamated in order to fight Germany’s industrial invasion of their home-field of operations. ■ These British manufacturers do not admit that the war has crippled or even hurt the German dye trade German experts, watching the developments of the new-born British dye industry, say that, while the British Government has given it to be understood that no foreign dyestuffs will be imported for 10 years after the end of the war, not the slightest care has been taken to provide the dye-makers of Great Britain with the colouring compositions necessary for their trade. Altogether, the German dye magnates seem fairly confident of their ability to regainj their old position and to once more stand supreme as the dyestuff monopolists of the world. According to one of their agents, “The time is very nigh when German dyes will be in general demand throughout Great Britain, for Germany is able to supply more of the kind and quality of the dyes needed by the English trade than any other dyestuffs corporations.” It is to be hoped that the promised action by the House of Commons will prevent this humiliating spectacle of the dye trade, with all its important adjuncts, falling back into Teutonic hands.