Evening star., 1939-09-03
Britain's Big Textile Industry
Centers Its Attention on i. S.
Report by Manchester Chamber Is Clearest
Evidence of Search by Businessmen
for American Good Will
Bv Blair BoHes.

While British diplomacy goes cautious
ly about affrming Londons position in
European affairs, British commercial
interests are turning their attention to
the United States. Years ago Sir Eyre
Grove set forth the view that matters
of state are determined in the end by
matters of business. So Englands lat
ter-day search for commercial rapport
with America may possess a great sig
nificance which will be revealed only in
the future.
The clearest evidence of this search
for American commercial good will is
presented in a report on the United
States issued in Great Britain by the
Manchester Chamber of Commerce. a
copy of which has just reached The
Star The Chamber dispatched trade
mission to the United States in May to
gauge the prospects of improving the
position of this country in the British
textile trade
Over it's six weeks stay. the mission
visited New York. Philadelphia, Wash
ington, Boston and Chicago. These trav-
els left the commercial missionaries with
certain definite ideas about American
thoughts regarding England. They proved
themselves good propagandists they
felt, and they were left with the convic-
ton that after them should come more
their report:
Our accounts of the English situation
put matters in new light for many of
our listeners, and deep impression was
made by the assurance we gave to all
the Americans we met that whatever
perplexities might have troubled the
British spirit a year or nine months ago.
the whole of our people were now pos
sessed of calm determination not only
to preserve their own heritage, but to
assume any other burdens which circum-
stances might thrust upon them.
More Such Messages Urged.
I'VE are convinced that it is essential
to have as many Englishmen as possible
present time, and it appears that plain
businessman's testimony may carry more
conviction than the brilliant language Of
the professional lecturer
This British commercial concern is
something apart from the English
thought that led to the coinage of that
cynical sentence. England expects every
American to do his duty" That duty"
is support of Britain in any continental
diplomatic and military undertaking.
The businessmans interest lies in an
accord which will make him richer, in
trade for trades sake, with politics and
the larger thoughts of empire pushed
aside.
Manchester. the city which the visi-
tors call home is peculiarly tied up with
the fortunes of the United States Man
chester is the center both of an industry
and system of economic thought, the
headquarters of the British cotton tex
tile trade and the birthplace of the
Manchester School, the leader in the
British free trade movement. The Man
chester and Lancashire textile industry
once supported the American South, and
the South historically is the center OF
the American antitariff, free trade
movement.
The last IL years have seen a notable
decline in the linking of the United
States and Great Britain through the
cotton trade. In 1928, 62.7l per cent
Of the raw cotton spun in English mills
came from the United States. In 1934-5
the percentage was 1929 per cent. In
1889 it was less than Is per cent. Dur
ing the changing years, Japan replaced
Great Britain as our principal cotton
buyer. And during the same period
Great Britain lost almost half the mar
kets for her manufactured cotton tex
tiles. Japan took many Of these markets
Conference Here Soon.
For years Great Britain was interested
in freeing herself from dependence on
American cotton, but, of course, that in
terest did not include willingness to
have her textile trade diminished Eng
land suffered during the last year, when
her mills found it impossible to buy the
American cotton they wanted. 1t was
tied up in warehouses, held as collateral
for government loans. England has
grown conscious, then, that 1t cannot
escape from its interest in American
cotton.
This fact has special importance now
when a World Cotton Conference is
about to convene in Washington. Amer
icas world cotton sales have greatly
diminished. Secretary of Agriculture
Wallace is leading campaign for recap
ture OF the lost markets He is pursuing
his own policy, exemplified by the recent
launching of the cotton export subsidy
policy. Secretary Wallace and Secretary
of State Hull are the most vigorous pro-
ponents Of foreign trade in the admins
tration, even though they approach for
eign trade with entirely different philoso-
phies.
The Manchester missionaries found
Wallace and Hull almost unique.
American opinion is not very con-
scious of the importance of export trade
nor very interested in it," they report
Great numbers of American business
men do not think at all about export