Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-18
Weoves q Textile Case

Was uCCply SAloNACU ~
the attempt by Herbert Brat
ter. in an article appearing
in The Star, to justify the
sacrifice of the American tex
tile industry for the sake Of
International politics. The
Japanese textile worker re-
ceives 10 to IL per cent Of
the wages paid to the Ameri-
can textile worker. In other
words, the japanese textile mill
can hire eight to ten people
for the same money an Ameri-
can textile mill would pay one
employee. Mr.. Bratter's general
statement to the effect that
the United States has the
cheapest labor in the world
per unit doesn't hold water
in view of the recent influx
Of foreign goods. and GER
tainly doesn't apply in the
case of textiles. Mr.. Bratter
says that according to Japa-
nese data tnotice how he
takes Japanese data at face
value and belittles informa-
ton received from American
sources) the productivity Of
Japanese workers is less than
half that OF the American
textile worker. Even If that
were true. their labor cost
would still be only a fraction
that Of the American textile
industry.
MIR. Bratter's contention that
United States textile manu-
facturers are more worried
about the future than the
present Is true. But that
proves only that the manu-
facturers have foresight enough
10 try TO prevent a catas-
trophe from happening rather
than waiting for Americas
sixth largest industry to be
destroyed. Over one million
American textile workers and
another million in the gar
ment industry would be
thrown out of work. not to
mention the profound effect
it would have on farmers and
on the machinery. steel, pa
per. electric power. motor
carriers and railroad indus
tries. etc.
Mr.. Bratter seemed to be
perfectly satisfied with his OBJ
servation that the japanese
have voluntarily decided to
limit cotton fabric exports to
the United States to $50 mil
lion square yards in l956--this
Is 100 times the is million
square yards that entered the
country IN 1852. Mr.. Bratter's
attempt to minimize $50 mil
lion square yards OF goods with
percentages appears ridiculous
when one realizes that 1t rep
resents about one square yard
Of goods for every man, woman
and child in the United States.
1t Is hard to imagine an Amer
lean who would be willing to
let the welfare of,2 million of
his fellow Americans and their
families depend on the whims
OF few Japanese.
Subsequent to World War II,
the United States spent mil
lions OF American dollars to
build up the Japanese textile
industry. giving them new and
modern machinery. teaching
them the latest United States
methods Of manufacturing and
loaning them money with
which to buy cotton. The ma
chinery. paid for partially out
of taxes on the American tex
tile industry, is better than
many American firms can af-
ford. To add insult to injury.
the State Department made
drastic reductions in the tariffs
on textiles. Then. as If the
handicaps were not great
enough, the Agriculture De-
partment recently made avail
able to foreign mills American
cotton from Government
stocks at prices as much as 8
to Q cents below what Ameri-
can mills are forced to pay.
Poor earnings have further
handicapped the A m erica n
textile industry In that they
have been unable to finance
adequate modernization.
The welfare Of every Amer
lean man will depend upon
immediate action to rectify
this unjust and unfair situa-
ton, for the destruction of this
great industry could set of
a chain reaction that would
plunge the country into a
severe depression. II Mr.. Brat
ter or anyone else thinks we
can help the free world by
destroying the American econ
omy. he Is sadly mistaken.
James III. Mellichampe, Jr.