Tokyo, Sept. 23.
Some 140 of Japan's 160 cotton. rayon, stable fibre and wool spinning companies will shortly disappear if the Japanese Government's project to merge the country's spinning concerns goes through, the "Yomiuri" reports.
At present, the newspaper write the Japan Cotton Spinning Association has 75 members, the Japan Rayon Association 20, the Japan Staple Fibre Association 33, and the Japan Wool Association 33 members. These numbers are too high; there are far too many concerns for a peacetime industry the future of which is none too bright."
Production of cotton yarn for export, the "Yomiuri" points out, is now restricted to 110,000 bales, and of staple fibre to 2,000,000 pounds per month. Furthermore, production of these goods for domestic use is to Fe more severely controlled as time goes on, the paper concludes, presaging th* vast amalgamation project.
Meanwhile, however, the "Nichi Nichi" reports that silk consumption will be encouraged throughout Japan in future as the keystone of the country's silk policy. This contrasts sharply with the former policy o? producing mainly for export.
The Government now plans to set aside 20,000,000 of the total normal crop of 93,000,000 kan to the production of "silk-wool" for home consumption. This would serve the purpose of reducing production of ordinary silk sufficiently to prevent a decline in price from the present Y.1350 mark.
At the same time, it will provide Japan with enough "wool" to overcome the present shortage of that commodity.—Havas.
CE RepSteel 18 18) Rep Avian 51 5
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.