Nov. 23.
The entry into the trade of China of the Eastern Textile, Association, Ltd., as an entity' may prove' to have extremely' important results for British commerce. We say as an et ity is advisedly, for most, if not all, of the fifty' firms making up the Association are already engaged in supplying textiles to this country, and at a time when we hear so much of British con-servetism, if not lack of enterprise, there Is satisfaction ili seeing a fresh departure and a. will to enter markets against formidable opponent. understand the intentions of the Association, they propose to come into the field—as a matter of fact, they are already in it—with particular cloths manufactured on the basis of mass proters duction so that they can be marketed at a rate which will not only appeal to the Chinese consumer but will have every chance of competing against the cheap Japanese products which have in recent years found such a large sale here. As not only manufacturing but also dyeing and finishing firms are included in the Association, it will be possible to offer a particular cloth in a variety of different styles, but at the same time maintaining the benefits in price accruing from mass production. So far one particular cloth has been, experimented with and is now being placed on the Chinese market, and, we are glad to be able to state, success fully. We must not, of course, forget that this is a particularly favourable opportunity, for although Chinese merchants may have nothing but detestation for the boycott of Japanese goods, the committees of pseudo-patriots and agitators are making things so uncomfortable for them that they prefer being able to supply their customers' needs with the manufactures of other nationalities. Allowing. for this, one point of very great importance nevertheless stands out, that at their first attempt have given the Chinese a material which appeals to them, which is all important and likewise augurs well for continued success, It has always to be borne in mind that, no matter how excellent a particular class of goods may be and how cheap, it is useless to expect a sale for unless it happens to suit the Chinese idea exactly. When it does so, the enterprise of representatives here may be relied upon to see that. that chop becomes firmly established, but that is a matter on which it will be advisable to touch later.
To enter a field such as China on a basis of mass production is not the simple matter which might suggest itself to the lay man, but on the contrary is a business which has to be~ approached with enormous caus tion, The market for British textiles is already 1 whenever civil war the exactions 9 decrease is of very considerable volume. More and more in recent years has it tended in the direction of—high grade materials, and these are firmly established in the country. Possibly they are not particularly suitable to mass production, as such, but even if they were would be inadvisable to attempt to interfere with them.
There has already been the painful experience of placing on the market more than it can digest, any repetition of which is to be avoided, and increased consumption of such materials can only come about through processes of educating the public taste combined with greater purchasing power on the part of the people. It will, accordingly, be seen that the operations of this new Association must be. limited—not necessarily in bulk of trade but in the lines in which they are to do business, To our way of thinking this may prove to be one of the most satisfactory features about it, The trade of Lancashire has been in need of fresh outlets and larger markets, and here we have a new outlet already to some extent in being, and it should be the first concern of the Association and those who represent them here to secure other mediums for the sale of their products, at the same time retaining present markets, A further benefit, and an enormously important one, may follow upon its operations, There is no question in the Chinese mind of the high class nature of the British textiles offered for sale here, but equally these goods have the reputation of being very high priced in comparison with others, From this the Chinese merchant gets the general impression that British goods are expensive, and the tendency on his part when king for cheaper varieties 18, often to exclude Great Britain from his scope of inquiry. Here now, with goods actually in their hands and sold at a low figure, is a demonstration to these merchants that they can obtain lower priced manufae= tures from Great Britain, and there should be a good chance that other products will benefit as a consequence.
We have already referred to the enterprise of representatives of British firms in China in getting chops established on the market, and it stands to reason that this enterprise will have to be exercised to the full if these new style cloths are to make good. We are always being told—and particularly so by Chinese—that the British merchant in China is too conservative, and that he has in the past been content to let goods sell themselves. Opposition to new ideas has also been a charge against him. From inquiries we have made there is not' likely to be any complaint on this score in connection with the operations of the Eastern Textile Association, for already in many quarters we have seen that the particular me of cloth which has been introduced has been marketed, showing that the experience and connections of these firms have been utilized to their utmost in making this venture a success. There is also the realization that it will not be an altogether easy task to maintain these markets and find new ones for this and other kinds of cloth, The moment the boycott is over, the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.