"Pure silk cloths suitable for this trade could be made in this country, though not at these prices, and if adequate protection will be forthcoming, surely the public would still buy oiled silk novelties of a much better made cloth, at reasonable and economic pric The letter continues, Lancashire and Maccle: turers would like the opportunity of paying their national defence contribution, but instead they see their looms standing idle while their countrymen pay custom duties on Japanese cloth.
"Every oil silk coat means three and a half yards production lost to a British weaver, while every oil silk umbrella is two yards lost, and so on.
"Read textile manufacturers' reports and see what the Japanese are doing to one of our staple industries. For every yard lost to home trade, we lose thousands of yards in exports to India, Australia and other foreign markets. If our Government cannot be persuaded to act, perhaps our countrymen and women will be induced to refuse to buy foreign articles, which, after all, are not as good as those made in Britain," the letter concludes.—Havas K.L.M. Shut Out From
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.