GREAT many. fascinating elements are to be noted about the industry in dyes, and various digressions from the actual subject in hand—the position in China especially in relation to the year 1925—must be allowed in dealing with this subject. It need hardly be pointed out how important to any country are dyes, and once this is mentioned we come to one of the striking developments in the dye manufacturing industry which have taken place in recent years. Although the early history of aniline dyes is to be found in England, the combinations of business men and chemists which' were organized fon the Continent, brought it largely into German hands, and this was the case when war broke out in 1914, A country such 'a9 Great Britain then found herself definitely faced with a shortage of the necessary dyes, and in order to maintain her large textile industry and provide dyed material for the Navy, Army and Air Force it was necessary to take steps to expand the industry in the country. This was done, although considerable difficulties had to be faced in the early stages, and to-day we see how such an event has re-acted upon the trade in China, Prior to the war Germany had obtained 'a virtual monopoly of the aniline dye trade here, and she shared only with Switzerland the whole of the synthetic indigo trade. To-day the position is altered, and ever since the war, German merchants have had to face the most strenuous competition in both ines of dyes not only from British manufacturers, but those of other countries principally France and America. These three countries have entered into the field where formerly German goods predominated, and it may safely be said that the monopoly previously mentioned is def-finitely at an end. But for reasons, to be hereafter stated, the future must inevitably be one of long and severe competition between the nations and firms secking the trade.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.