So great has been development the position of rayon as a compet daring the year under review that for with other textile fibres has been enhanced beyond all expectation, and artificial silk should soon selling on a par with general utility fibres for the manufacture cloths and hosiery. This pres-future of almost ties for the commodity that of this paragraph: and as all the leading countries and China's nearest economic neighbour, Japan, have been bestirring them: selves' throughout the year to in-Jerease their rayon factories sind to perfect their organisation of this ranch of trade, it would seem to be an opportune time this country also to -ognise its growing importance and fo obtain a pres ent footing and an ultimate worthwhile share in the immense future that undoubtedly now lies ahead of the artificial silk industry. So far no encouragement has been given to existing or proposed enterprise: in this country in the rayon connection, presumably for fear of harming the old-established natural silk trade, but, if rayon is now almost ina position to compete on equal price terms even with mererised cotton. the natural and the ficial silk industries must in any case drift apart eventually and find very dissimilar markets for their respective products: they can 20 longer compete on. a price basi Imports of floss and yarn declined from 13.1 million catties in 1981 to 1044 million catties, while imports of artificial silk and wool piece goods declined in round figures from 463,000 to 64,000 yards. "Some recovery took place in the artificial sible Weaving industry at Tientsin owing to the possibility of obtaining yarn from Japan at favour al prices due to the fall in the yen, and, in general, there was evidence throughout the country of a desire to carry on and succeed in this branch of trade, given somewhat better conditions than those ruling during 1992, Signs of development in the industry were not wanting, iz shown by the increased use ade of, the finer counts of yarn, experiments in mixing this yarn with wool and with the finer cotton ud by the increasing use ide' in the Hangchow and Wusih riots of artificial silk in conjunction with natural silk, Increased duties on these commodities were introduced as from August 4, 1932, ud the effect was to reduce, the rage monthly" imports of floss id yarn by approximately 50 per it. during the remainder of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.