At the same time, however, they have clearly made great progress with the development of the export trade. Aided by the considerable degree of vertical combination between yarn producers, weavers and dyers which had already been practised for some years, they made considerable progress during the first six months of the war and even the setback caused by the elimination of the Scandinavian and other European markets may prove only temporary, thanks to the very active ce-operation between the producers and users of rayon. Actually, the elimination of these countries as sources of supply opens a very considerable new field for exports, As nearly as can be estimated, in 1938 the countries of Continental Europe sold 18 million Ib. of yarn and 11,7 million square yards of piece-goods in the American market, and 19 million Ib. of yarn and 304 million square yards of piece-goods in other markets outside Europe. This trade is now open to competition between Great Britain and her principal rivals in the trade, Japan and the United States. Happily, the British rayon manufacturers seem very much alive to its importance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.