The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1933. JAPAN’S RIVALRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1933, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1933. JAPAN’S RIVALRY.

The cable news of late lias contained several references to Japan.’s invasion of Britain’s trade in India and elsewhere, to say nothing of Britain itself. The effect lias been to paralyse the cotton and silk works in and about Lancashire, and there is dire distress, and naturally much protest. Within twenty miles radius of Manchester there are more people than in a similar area around London, and the whole of Lancashire, says a late London message, is paralysed by Japanese competition.- 111 the last 10 years the number of-looms in use has fallen from 799,000 to 042,000, and the number of spindles from •59,000.030 to 53,000',C00. The giant plants of the north are not working more than half time. It is not .so many years .since one factory .accepted the largest order which Australia had ever placed. This order kept it in full work for exactly eight days. You may, therefore, measure what half-time activity means to the whole of Lancashire. A few years ago Britain's cotton piece goods were in volume 33 times greater than the similar output of Japan, To-day Japan’s figures equal those of Britain. Britain’s production of silk was six times that of Japan. To-day that of Japan is six times more than that of Britain. In no country can Britain compete, and to harry her still further, Czechoslovakia has come into the markets of the world with cotton goods of sound quality at prices which Britain cannot approach. During a debate in the House -of Commons, which is tremendously concerned about the death rattle of this section of Britain’s export industry, Mr Levy, a unionist, held up- a. piece of silk which was made in Japan from a Macclesfield design. Tt was sold in London to' the shopkeeper at 2s 9cl a yard, duty paid. In this country the hare cost of production is 4s lOd a yard. Japan can manufacture it at 2s 9d because the average hpurly rate of pay for the Japanese silk worker jis 1-fd. He works 60 hours a week for 7s Gd, and the factories are running for 20'out of the 24 hours. The House agreed that an international stabilisation of wages and conditions was Highly desirable and necessary; but this pious expresson of feeling has not- taken, any of the edge off the Japanese invasion. Over production has occurred in Japan as the night follows the day. It is ithe inevitable accompaniment of intense mass application in factories. Dumping has been employed to get rid of surplus. India has had to confess that, notwithstanding her extraordinarily cheap labour, she cannot match the Japanese product in her own large cities. In recent years India has been Japan’s very best customer. She has absorbed 00 pel cent, of her textile manufactures, and 28 per cent of her total exports. And the Mikado’s Government has bco;i very t iken aback by the police of cancellation of the treaty, which accords Japan free entrance to India. She has pointed out that in the last five years she has brought from the Empire £225,000.000 of goods, chiefly raw materials and machinery, and has sold to it only £165,090,200 of manufactures.