TRADE NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1920, Page 10 (Supplement)

TRADE NOTES.

RUSSIAN CONTRACTS ARRANGED. I FOREST PLANTED FOR i MATCHES, London, 28th Sept. Realising the advantage of having their supply of timber in this country instead of importing it from Russia and Sweden, .Messrs. Bryant and May have decided to grow their own forests and supply their own wood for the making of matches. The firm has just hough t 9000 acres of a mountainous expanse in Argyllshire. It is situated at the head i|f the Holy Loch, and includes the mountain of Ballocli.vlc, which is over 1200 feet high, and tile two glens beside it. The tree chosen for the purpose is the aspen—one of the poplar family—the wood of which is specially suitable for matches. It will be five or six years hefore the firm can judge whether the aspens are going to thrive, and 30 years before they will make the first matches from the new supply. COALS TO NEWCASTLE. In addition to consignments of American steel bars which have arrived at Swansea, 1000 tons of American spelter have also reached that town. South Wales spelter works have been idle for weeks through wage troubles, hick of raw material, and the effectiveness of American competition. INDUSTRIAL DEPRESSION The burdens on industry and the inability to gpciire foreign orders owing to the high cost of production arc causing serious alarm in many important trades in which great unemployment is threatened. Five large spelter works in the Swansea district have been closed down owing to trade depression, and in the South Wales steel trade the order books of many firms are fast becoming empty. One factor alleged is the growing foreign competition in steel, particularly from the United States and Belgium. The glove industry ie threatened by German competition, "it is stated that the cost of production here is more than the selling price of German gloves. SLUMP IN BOOT TRADE. The Northamptonshire boot factories are on an average working only two days a week, and at present there seems little prospect of any improvement. The slump commenced last Christmas, and matters have grown steadily worse, until to-day the condition of the industry Is worse than at any time in living memory. The boot trade has experienced bad times before, but nothing quite so bad as the present stagnation. For this slump there are many reasons, the chief - of them being the over-production consequent on the factory extensions and improvements of machinery caused by the demand for army boots during the war, and the failure of France, Belgium, and Italy to take the surplus, these export channels being closed through the fall in the value of the franc and the lira Another cause has been the fact that men have been using up their armv boots, whilst the disposal of the Army Sfli Navy boot* by the Government has enabled them to replace them at a price which 'bears no relation to the cost of manufacture. JUTE TRADE COMBINE. A combination of five of the most important jute work in Dundee has been effected by a syndicate headed by Mr, Clarence C. Hatry, managing director of the commercial Jiank of London. The '.Commercial Bank recently acquired the j business of Messrs. J. and A. D. Gri- ■ mond. Ltd.. jute spinners and manufacturers, and the syndicate have now completed negotiations by which they acquire .ill the ordinary shares of the Mowing jute spinning and manufacturing companies:—Messrs. Thomas Bell and Sons, Ltd., of Dundee; Messrs. Gilroy, Sons, and Co., Ltd., Tay Works; Messrs. Harry Walker and Sons, Ltd., Coldrum Works; and Messrs. John N. Kyd and Co., jute spinners. The parent syndicate will be known as Jute Industrios Ltd., but the management of the various concerns will be continued as before. Negotiations for the acquisition of other businesses are being carried on by the syndicate, which has a strong financial backing. The negotiations were carried out 'by Mr. K. C. Thompson, of Messrs. R. C. Thompson and Murdoch. LARGE CONTRACTS WITH RUSSIA. Contracts have been signed between the Soviet Delegation in London and five firms for the delivery of about £2,000,- <• 000 worth of cloth. All the five Arms Ji concerned are Yorkshire firms, and it is an express condition of the contract that failing delivery within three months the whoie transaction becomes void. The first object of the delegation is to provide agricultural ma|hinetry, boots, and clothing for the peasants in the -villages, and tlie carrying out of this contract will do a great deal to accomplish this end. It is realised that ».t present the distress in some of the BiusSiatt villages is so acute that there is little inducement for the peasant to try to get out of the Red Army. On the other hand, if the peasant learns that in his village there is any prospect of prosperity, as the arrival of agricultural machinery, leather, and clothing would indicate, he would be only too glad to return home, and thus there might be a chance of securing the . peace which 13 so eagerly desired. The detaifs of many of jtne contracts which the Soviet Delegation desires to enter into were practically settled before the Daily Heraid bombshell was fired and the interview with the Prime Minister whieh ended in M. Kameneff's return to Russia. From that point it was realised that further political conversations with the Soviet Delegation were impossible until M. Kameneff had reported on the result of his conversations in Moscow, but it is understood that at the interview with Mr. Lloyd George the conduct of M. Krassin personally was not impugned. M. Krassin holds the position of Minister of Trade and Commerce and of Communications, and it is agreed that during his stay in London he has devoted his attention exclusively to commercial matters. POWER ALCOHOL. Arrangements are now being made for the experimental production of power alcohol on a considerable scale in India, and it is believed that they will prove that alcohol for fuel can be produced on n commercial basis and in large quantities in various parts of the Empire. Rice straw' will be used in the first place, * but other cheap raw materials are avail'e* able, and it is believed that within two ■ e " or three years large supplies will be $ available to be imported into this cquit