TRADE NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 March 1921, Page 3

TRADE NOTES.

, GERMAN FILMS. LONDON, Feb 3. man film industry is the subject of a number of congratulatory articles in the German Press, tlie underlying note is the importance of capturing i the foreign market so as to use the 1 films in German propaganda. Tho in- ! dustry has revived enormously already. 1 and authorities assert that it is now ! only second in output to America. In 1914 Germany imported films to the value of 18:J million marks (£937,o(H)), the majority from France and England. Hardly any German films were then used. During the war the film industry received considerable support from the Government aild the Army, and this support acted as a j subvention. During- tho years of the war the industry got on to its feet. It lias now become a commercial success, j and seeks to expand. A determined ef- , fort may he expected on the part of ] the German*prddtieers to force tlieir way into the foreign market, business j being evidently combined with propa- j ganda. j HOME-GROWN SUGAR, - , A new company, “Home Grown Sugar (Limited)” has been registered in England, with tho object of manufactuning licet sugar. A factory is to be built in Kellinm to cater for the farmers of Lincolnshire and Nottingham- | shire. Among the objects of the company will he the encouragement of j farmers to grow sugar beet in the Unit- !

4 s ed Kingdom in areas contiguous to av* factory, the consideration of the adI K visability of forming a company to acl> - quire land for the production of sugar >4 beet as reserve supplies for beet sugar factories built or contemplated, and of 4 • the promition of a. further beet sugar >r proposition ready to go forward as soon l( 4 as tho Kelham scheme has been prov--10 ed. With a view to making the industry ultimately independent of imported seed, the establishment of a seed sta--0 tion will also he considered. £3,(XX),(MX) HERRING DEAL. 1 Tho Government have disposed of their stock of 8(H),(MX) barrels of herrings to the herring department of Messrs Bloomiields (Overseas), Ltd,, Yarmouth, the largest herring export- | ‘ ers in the country. The value of the j herrings is .-£3,(MX),000. The firm of 1 ' Rlomlirtds is one of Lord Lovcrhulme’s j lisli trade enterprises. It is | not disclosed whether Messrs j ( Bloomiields have actually pur- 1 . chased the herrings or have found a ‘ ‘. 0 . , means of disposing of them on behalf • of tho Government, acting as agents. The 800.(MX) barrels wore bought hv the j Government under the guarantee of j ' minimum prices, and the inability of the Government to find 11 purchaser for them lias been the cause of the stagna- ] tion in the trade. ' 1 GERMAN DYEvS. 2 1 | During December the imports <>l dyc- | stuffs from Germany were 87) tons J I 5 more than those of the previous month according to the Board of Trade re- | turns. This represents the measure of | the success of Germany in a last-hour j effort to rush in supplies before the importation was stopped (except under I : license), under the new Dyestuffs Act, 1 which has just come into operation, | { Knowing that prohibition was certain, ! j importers have boon crowding their j j stores with supplies for months past, j 1 Applications for permits to import j 1 more have been filed at the Board of I Trade. I NATIONALISATION OF COAL, s At the Central Executive Committee iof the International Minors’ Federation, attended by representatives of j I Belgium, Germany, and Czoclio-Slo- . ; vakia. reports as to the progress made towards the nationalisation of the coal j industry since the Geneva Conference i were presented on behalf of the various 1 countries, and a unanimous resolution proposed in the name of the French • and Belgian organisations, was agreed ( to. It stated that the meeting “de- | • dares that the socialisation of the min- j ] ing industry in every country is of su- 1 picnic importance. It notes the stren- 1 uoiis resistance now being made to this i proposal by the capitalists throughout Europe. It calls upon the workers to j. redouble their activity in, favour of : the exploitation of mines by the. com- r iiiiinity, and 111x111 the working classes 1 and the public generally to urge upon 1 their respective Governments the need < for introducing legislation to give ef- 1 fret to this proposal. It further calls t upon all affiliated nations not to enter l into any agreement with their respective owners which might have the effect 1 of compromising international action t being taken at any time to realise the . resolutions passed at the Geneva Con- • e ferenee.” The new feature about the j p reaffirmation of the resolution declaring | ( for the socialisation of the. mines— ji< which is a hardy annual at interna- p tional conferences is flic attenda. .call- I ing upon a,ll affiliated unions not to j c enter into any wage agreement which j \\ might have the effect of compromising J 11 international action. As the British [

miners are negotiating a new wage agreement, it may be asked wluit effect this resolution will have upon the action of the British miners. Tt is not thought in any way to aim at tho negotiations in progress, because even under nationalisation there would have to be agreement between the State and tin* miners as to the relative division of the income of the industry.