The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-14

cesses. making finished goods equal e
that of the German manufacturers Of
these lines, but this industry here ID
already menaced by the return of Ger
man hosiery and gloves into the Brit
ish market, not to mention the world
markets. fields into which the British
glove and hosiery makers were begin
ming to reach at the time OF the sign
Ing OF the armistice.
Admits Hard Competition.
The value OF British products using
synthetic dyes now amounts to $500
100000 but the British dye industry. in
which is one company with a capital OF
e45oo.eo0, which is subsidized by the
Government, Is at present turning cut
10000 tons OF dyes a year. Although
able to produce bulk dyes Iva large
quantity, the managing director OF this
company admits they cannot compete
with the Germans and the Swiss. This
was proved by the statement by a
prominent Bradford textile manufact-
urer>that, despite sentimental reasons,
he Is now obliged to purchase Ger
man dyes on account OF the fact that
both their quality and price were IN
finitely superior to the British dyes.
Although Germany can dump her dyes
here at ridiculously low prices. her
practice has been to quote prices only
10 to 20 per cent. below those quoted
in Great Britain, which. as a rule, are
8 shillings to shillings a pound. pay
nent being exacted In sterling. In sew
eral cases It was noted that German
dyes sold as low as pence a pound. al
though this was not general.
Under the circumstances, however, II
Is considered here as doubtful. even Il
the legislation proposed was sufficient
II this branch ef British industry car
be protected against German encroach
ment
From the figures quoted for importa'
lions this year there must be deducted
SIT tons Of dyes received as q part OF
the reparations due from Germany.
Cheap Dyes a Necessity.
Furthermore, there is a powerful
school OF thought here which Insists
that II is more important TO enable
British textile manufacturers, who are
infinitely bigger than the dye manufac'
facturers, to buy cheap dyes In order
to enable them to enter the world mar
kets with a product against which the
Germans cannot compete.
Although the British fabric glove in.
dustry increased sevenfold during and
after the war the Germans are now
greatly underselling the British fabric
glove manufacturers here. while in the
hosiery manufacturing business many
manufacturers are laying off their
hands and working on short time. I'm
like the German competition. some other
countries with deprecated currency also
are preparing to enter the British mar
ket with superior articles at low prices.
At the electrical exposition in Prague
recently there were lamps marked for
the British market at a little more than
a shilling each. as against shillings
as the standard price here, with similar
reductions in other electrical lines.
Although tremendous effort Is
being made on sentimental and practical
grounds to stock the British nurserie
with British toys 100000 worth of Ger
man made toys were imported into
Great Britain during the first half OF
this year which is 100 per cent. more
than the importations Of toys from Ger
many during the same period In 1914.
The British glass trade is similarly
menaced. From December, 1918, to Oc-
tober, 1920. inclusive. f10,500.000 worth
OF glassware was imported into this
country, as against $500, 900 in 1918.
For the first ten months OF this year
glassware to the value of more than
f7,000.0o0 was imported. German optical
glass, despite the wartime encourage
ment and subsidies given to British
glassmakers. is now selling in London
for 60o per cent less than that of Brit
ish make. Twelve thousand German
prism binoculars are being offered at
retail in London for less than 1t would
cost to manufacture them in Great
Britain