BRITISH WOOL INQUIRY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 106, 6 May 1929, Page 2

BRITISH WOOL INQUIRY

CONFLICTING STATEMENTS. OPPOSITION TO SAFEGUARDING. LONDON, -larch 28. Important evidence as to the steady and serious decline in Britain’s consumption of wool, parallel with an increase in the world’s production, was given before the Board of Trade Committee inquiring into the application for the safeguarding of the wool nd worsted industry. This evidence was presented in the last stage of the case for the applicants by Air Walter Andrews, who has been in the wool trade for 57 years. He was for three years president of the British Wool Federation, and is now a member of that body. “There is less wool carried over at the end of each yjaar now than was the case pre-war,” said Air Andrews, “which proves that there has been no reduction in the worJd’s demand and the consumption of wool for textile purposes. We arc so near to the sheep’s back now that there is no accumultion.” From 1 2U to 1924, he continued, there was considerable decrease in Britain’s consumption. It fell from 842,600,0001 b. in the five years, 1910-14, to 690,400,0001 b. in the five years, 1920-24. That (L crease had been further accentuated in the last three years for which figures were ) available, 1926-27, the consumption dropping to 660,000,0001 b. In reply to questions, Air Andrews said there was more production of wool now than ever in the history of the world. “There is, moreover,” he said, “an increase in the world’s demand for wool compared with pre-war.” In opening the case for the opposition in a speech lasting nearly four hours, Air Cornyns Carr hai.iled in a list of opponents, which included two firms of ex-ports merchants, 14 of manufacturers, 11 of merchants, two of clothing manufacturers, one of mantle manufacturers, and one of yarn spinners. Concerning foreign competition in the home market, he said that if they accepted statistics as they stood there could be no doubt that there was no normal importation here at all. What had really happened was that disturbances on the Continent—conditions due in France directly to the total or partial destruction of machinery during the war, due in Germany to other circumstances arising from post-war events —particularly inflation—prevented France until 1925 and Germany until 1926 from resuming to any substantial extent the position of exporters which they occupied before the war. To-day neither of them had got back to that position. Very little attempt had been made by the applicants, said the speaker, to link up unemployment with foreign conipetion. That was the point at which the applicants’ claim on unemployment broke down. To an infinitely greater degree the unemployment in the woollen and worsted industry was caused by the falling off in export trade than by increase in import trade.