One of the unpleasant features of Japanese competition is the appropriation of British designs for piece goods. 'The Calico Printers' Association, which represents about 60 Lancashire firms and 60 per cent. of the British calico printing industry, is greatly concerned _at this phase of the trade war. Designs cost roughly from £150 to £200 to produce by an elaborate process requiring the employment of some 200 technical experts and 400 engravers in England, and some of them take 34 months from the time the designs are decided upon until they are ready printing.
The designs thus drawn up have fallen into the hands of Japanese competitors, wi reproduce.them for £10 and frequently they have been on the China market before the original British pattern has made its appearance. One expert informs me that a very conservative estimate puts the loss at from £250,000 to £300,000 a year on a pre-war basis, and as the demand for prints has increased since then by 50 per cent, the net loss is very much The Japanese also advantage of selling direct {0 the Chinese consumer, whereas the European printer sends his design to. European house, which in turn sells the finished product to a Eurpean house in China. This firm then passes it on to large wholesalers, who at last sell to the customers with whom Japanese mills are in direct contact.
There is another serious phase of the situation affecting British textile imports. Chinese and for eign mills in Shanghai and outside are making good quality shirtings and other piece goods which are steadily invading markets as far west as Suez, formerly in the hands of British manufacturers. During the first week of November. there were heavy shipments from Shanghai to Egypt. During October other markets were supplied through Aden, Mombasa, Singapore, and Constantinople. Trade with India was brisk during the first six months of the year.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.