Oel. YJ, l l d l
864
CHEMISTRY AND INDUSTRY
of America, Japuu, and Germuny, countries with markedly different standards of living-linvc? progressed substantially at our expclisc. Jnpali requires nI)out 3$ inillion tons of iron ore nnniinlly ; nenrly 3 milliou tons of this itre iniport8cd. HcI noriniil lirorliic:t8ioii of pig iron is 1,400,000 tons, tiiitl she irnports nboi~t~ MO,OO0 tons in :idclition. Pol' steel her prodiictiw capncity is iienrly 3 million toils aunrinlly, h i t t slit: iniport8s iienrly II iiiillioii tons of steel products. Orgnnisntion for iucrcnsed production is proceeding, so t,li:ito incretiscd inipurts :ire likcly to liiive Lo uw;iit :i rcvivnl in txnile. " It is essentinl," stnt,es the report., '' that; niniiiif:icturrrs. in order to hike ttdvniitrige of m y such openings. slioulrl liavc resident esperts iii Jnpnn." As regiirds machinery, tlie improving st niidnrd of living should incrense the dcmnnd for imported products. Tt is st,rongly rccomniendcd tlitit trchnicnl re1)reseiit.nt.ives should be :ittaclicd, by firnis or groups of firms, to t,liu officcs of their agents. In the wool testilc industry the only Jnpancse market held by British c1ot.h~ is thnt in which quality is prncticnlly t.hc only consideration. Continental spinners renp the advuntage of lower rntes of wages, longer hours, conscquent saving in overliead costs, nnd lower tssntion. The question of freight rates nlso cnlls for serious consideration, wit.11 n view to British rtsportcrs bciug pluced on ii piirity with Con1 inenttil csporters. China his the lowest purchiising p o ~c r pcr hcitd of t i l l countries, wliilst British goods, wier:illy speaking, are highest both in qunlity :in11 i i i price.
It. is useless, froin tlie cominercinl point of view, to offer gmtl products to somconc wlio citniiot pny for them ; it is ftir better to offcr goods of lower quality nnd rcccivc pttyment in return. Wc may be justifiably proiicl of the quality of our goods, but we must not forget thiit tlie qunlity Iiinrlict occupies but n smnll corner of tlie world's market. plncc. Xeitlicr must we be too dignified to ndvcrtise in :i mniincr suit.iible to thc occasion; J3ritish publicity, we are told, is f:ir behind tlie times, nncl ineffcctivc in compiirison with t.Iiiit of our competitors. 'L'lic report intiltes four suggcstions for incruiisiug oiir trndc in Cliinn : ((I) by ediiciiting yoiing Chincsc iii Grent Britnin to iisc iind iipprecinte our products. ( 0 ) by supporting universit.ies in China with pliint iind literntiire, (c) by circulnting British pcriodicrils nnd cntnlogues of good qiinliiy, ( d ) by scntling oiit more rciil esperts to instruct purchnsers iis well 11s to support :igents. 11. is regtirrletl iis n inlitter of most urgelit necessity t l i i i t i L inorc intiiniitc ciiltiii~d reliitionship s l i o i ~l t l IIC ~~roniutetl 1)ctivccii Chinit cind Grccit l3rititiii for thl> l)iirlios(! of nttrrtctiiig Chinese sti1dent.s Lo British [.~iiirersities and worksliops, iind the siiinnioning of it conferenca to consider this mntter is proposed. 'I'he finiincinl side of thc! problem is rilso onc of vary :rent, significnncc in tfhc development of trncle bet,ween China nnd Great Britain; in lnrge contract,s credit may be more important, thin price and, moreover, the dcprecinted vnlue of silver is an ndverfie factor. A new Chincsc tnriff which came into opcrntion in Januiiry, 1931, will, indirectly, furthcr accentunte the dcmiind in Chinn for chcnpness rather thnn qiiiilih,y.