A BOMBSHELL.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1916, Page 7

A BOMBSHELL.

LATEST ENGLISH EXPORT [ EMBARGO, I '{ GOOD FOR AMERICA, ! London, March 1(1. An Ordei'rin-Council prohibits tlie exportation anywhere of kinematographic films, acetic acid, gramophone records, photographic paper, lilms, plates, radium and tungsten. —Press Association cablegram. _ A stir was eaused in several commercial circles on Saturday by the publication of the above cable message, the drastic intent of which will lead to an adjustment of trade connections (says tin: Dominion). Whilst it is admitted that there is undoubtedly good and sullicient reasons for such an embargo, it is regretted generally, as it is contended that it will assuredly play into the hands of other countries, which produce the lines mentioned with as great a facility as England. In the matter of photographic paper and plates (which are not now to be exported from England) it has been stated that <I3 per cent, of, such lines have, up to the present, hepn imported from England. America is a producer of plates and paper, but the American price has, it is stated, always .been slightly higher than the English, and so England got the trade. . Mr. A. B. Keyworth, who is. in charge «f the photographic department of KaajtSiorne, I'roeser and Co., states that for a. year past a difficulty lias been experienced in getting photographic goods required. Initially that was canscd by the, fact that Belgium made a specialty of the preparation and rtiannfacture of byryta-coated paper (a paper of very special texture), and glass for photographic plates, and the cessation of such embarrassed the trade or the world, almo'st as much.as the cutting off of the supply of chemicals from Germany. England, indeed- tlie -whole of Europe, had learned to depend on Belgium for glass suitable for coating for dry plates and paper, and the stoppage o£ those lines was very'seriously felt.' Since then stocks in 'England had fallen. Some nine months ago the price of dry plates and paper advanced 20 per cent., and since then they had not been able to get the supplies required. 'When a hundred gross wefe ordered they might get ten or.twenty gross, and sometimes none at all He had ordered' a big supply of a certain paper eight months' ago, and none of it had ever come to hand. The last packet of that paper he had sold on Friday last. Empty shelves testified to sadly-dcple.tod stocks. Mr. Key worth' is of opinion that there will be no other course for importers but to go to America for plates and paper. With English supplies totally cut off he anticipated that the Americans were almost sure to jump the prices, but there would be 'no option but to trade with iliem. The embargo would be a very serious thing for professional photographers, of whom there were about .">OO in Xew Zealand, as they must raise the prices, and it was doubtful if the .public would welcome a stiffer tariff. In the ease of the "Kodak," that camera, with the sensitised film used, was purely an American manufacture, so it was not affected by the ■ embargo.

KIXEMATOCRAPH FILMS. Almost all the kinema film, used h\ XW Zealand comes from England, which has now barred its export! Though London lias been the great clearing-house of picture film for the world, by far the larger portion of it is made in America, and local picture people ire of opinion diat (he embargo will simply mean changing the clearinghouse from London to New York, so that the picture are not likely to be seriously aSeotod by the embargo. The war has practically stopped the supply of French, Corman. Danish anil Ttalian-made pictures, and for a ycs>'. past tile picture world has relied on America more and more for its supplies, until now America will have practically a monopoly of the whole world, a.l Canada and Australia are only bnby producers so far. The British "f!a. wttes" will be missed. Why ihe export of film has Been barred ha s not been made clear, but the celluloid film is known lo be combustible to a degree, and the material may be required" for mere serious walk than the "movies."

AMERICA BEXEEITS KYEP.Y TIME. Gramophone records are also included in the list of manufactures which may not be exported from England. The supply of "patted music/" if is presumed, will be adjusted automatically, as the Of'umophonc Company, 'which supplies Kii.yla.iid and her colonies (Canada excepted) will doubtless see that tin' Victor Company, of America, a branch of the business, will supply the colonies-. . It appears from enquiries made that it was not Thomas Edison after all who first discovered the art or "photographing sound.'' That honor belonged to a man named ['.eiliner, of Canada/ and to-day the Berliner Company held the rights of the disc gramophone for Canada, and the Edison Company still only produces the wax cylinder phonograph records. The disc records are made of a composition of shellac and vulcanite, which materials may be of service in the manufacture of war munitions—hence the prohibition on t'iirir export. The Gramophone Company does not operate in the Slates, where its records are dealt with by the Motor Company, and vice versa, and neither of these companies may operate in Canada owing to the rights' held by the Berliner Company.