Evening star., 1922-04-07
BR|TA|N'S INDUSTRY
IN GLOOMY SETTING
US. Business Survey Shows
Unemployment May Fol-
low Conflict.
BY the Associat ted Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, April IA gloomy pic
ture of the British industrial situa-
tion is presented in the, American
Chamber of Commerce summary OF
business and economic conditions for
March.
After some months of peace. severe
industrial strife Is again being ex-
100000 skilled engineers will be
forced into idleness hangs on nego-
tiations between the employers and
the unions, brought about by the in
tervention of Prime Minister Lloyd
George.
More than a million persons will
be without jobs unless settlement Is
speedily reached, the report points
out. The engineering dispute is con-
cerned with the question of over
time, while the ship building work.
ers are disaffected due to bonus
reduction by fnstallments of 26h
shillings weekly. Ships docking for
repairs already are being diverted to
foreign ports.
The effect on unemployment returns
will be serious. Registered unemploy-
ed persons on March 20 numbered
1.762.o76. which figure. although large.
was reduction of 172, 900 from that
OF ten weeks before.
Cotton Mills Cut Prices.
Lancashire cotton manufacturers
have given notice of rs per cent re-
duction in the standard price list.
roughly. six shilling a pound. but it
Is not expected such a large reduction
will be made.
The February foreign trade returns,
published in March, were not encourag-
ing. as compared with January, both
imports and exports substantially de-
clined. Exports dropped of nearly
more than f7.0O0,000, some Of the de-
crease being due to the short month";
A feature of the returns was that,
apart from the so-called invisible ex-
ports, an actual favorable trade bal
ance Of f224,o00 was shown for the
first time in a century. In 1918 the ad-
verse trade balance amounted to fl34.-
100000. and in 1920 to f374.000, 900.
The February balance was not due,
however. to increased exports. but to
decreased imports.
Shipments of British coal continue
at a high level. moving at a rate of
| 6S.000,000 tons yearly, as COMPARED
| with ss.0o0,o00 in 1918. The export
| price is seventeen shillings a ton. In
| anticipation of the American coal
in the London freight markets for
voyage rates to Canadian ports with
coal Inquiries were also received
from Central American and other mar
| kets usually supplied from the Unit
ed States.
Higher Pig Iron Output.
The British production of pig iron
in February was 100000 tons, the
highest since March, 1921. On March
1 the furnaces in blast numbered 101,
as against ninety on February l.
Steel production showed an increase
for the first time in many months,
being 415,000 tons, as against $4,000
| tons in January.
The downward movement in the
cost of living continued. On March
| l the average level of retail prices,
| according to the ministry of labor,
| was Sc per cent above that of July.
! 1914, as compared with SO per cent in
February of this year and 141 per
[ cent in March, 1921.
| A downward trend also prevails in
wholesale prices, which showed a de-
cline OF 1.3 per cent from February
on $50 articles. including foodstuffs
! and industrial materials.
! Figures just published show that
big strides have been taken by the
British dye-stuff industry. The
present production amounts to $4,000
| tons yearly. as against a maximum
| output of less than 1000 tons in 1913.
] The American Chamber of Com
I merce has completed a special sur
vey of the British market for Amerj-
can goods and chemicals, which it
! is prepared to send to interested
members in the United States, and
another on fresh and dried fruits lis
IN the course of PREPARATION.