The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-10-11
BRITISH TRY TO
SPEED INDUSTRY
NECESSITY FOR INCREASED EN-
PORTS CALLED TO ATTEN-
TION OF COUNTRY

tion in order to restore the balance
of trade, and there are indications
that England will be able to con-
tinue to manufacture many lines Of
goods more cheaply than the United
States, according to H. G. Brock,
acting assistant chief of the bureau
of foreign and domestic commerce,
who has just returned to America
after Is months residence in Eng
land, where he was commercial at
tache.
"It is Or less of a common
place to say that there is an awak-
ened interest in England as to the
desirability, indeed the necessity of
an increased export trade" Mr..
Brock said. THE diminished pro-
duction of coal, in that country,
however, coupled with the recent
decision to add six shilliugs a ton to
the price have served to especially
focus the attention of Englishmen
on the difficulties of the export sit
uation. In pre-war years England's
ability to export coal had of course
been an important factor in the de-
velopment of her foreign trade.
"At the present time when the
balance of trade is so adverse to the
United Kingdom Cat the present
rate it will amount to 100000, 900
pounds this year, the necessity OF
greatly increasing total exports is
becoming more apparent. No Eng
lishman has any excuse for not APP
preciating this fact because it has
been dinned into his ears consist
emily since the armistice. Through
the editorial and news columns of
the daily news and in numerous
trade journals as we'll as through
the medium of the addresses of pub
lie men this ~self-evident truth has
been emphasized AMI re-emphasized.
1t can be taken for granted then
that British commerce ,rd iEdrs-
try are awake to the needs nf tue
future. AS a part of this program Il
great deal of emphasis is being
placed on the need for speeding up
production and the point is made
that this is not merely an en-
sployer's question or an employees
question but a national matter in
which every citizen must sink or
swim together
Elm the matter of production
England is probably better prepared
to make consistent and rapid pro-
gress than any other belligerent
European country. For n thing
the labor scarcity due to the de-
mands of the war has been in large
measure remedied. Out of the three
services-the army, navy and air
100000 men have already been
d%emobilized and from this huge
mass of able bodied men only about
$4,000 have not yet been absorbed
in industry. The continuation of
the import restrictions on numer-
Gus commodities until September l
gave the industries of the country
an opportunity to change from war
shielded industry during the period
of rehabilitation. The s~o-called un-
stable key industries are still to be
protected for an indefinite time by
the prohibition against the importa-
ton of such goods except under
license by the board of trade.
Dumping is likewise to be pro-
vided against by suitable legislation
and the board of trade is to be
equipped with emergency powers to
check a sudden and Undue importa-
ton of goods at prices altogether
below the cost of production in the
United Kingdom owing to the col
lapse Of exchange. Their last named
measure is aimed particularly at
Germany where the sovereign brings
50 marks as against 20 before the
war.
"The deprecated value of the
sovereign, which means that Ameri-
can products imported into the
United Kingdom cost the importer
considerably more than when ex-
change is normal. will likewise tend
to stimulate British production in
competing lines. England can
therefore now concentrate on speed
ing up production in most industries
and vigorous efforts are certainly
being made already in this direc-
ton.
Twill England be able TO manu-
facture many lines of goods more
cheaply than the United States in
khe future as in the past? Some