0003230
G.F. 323
CONFIDENTIAL
16
Fifth Session (Statistical Sub-Committee)
10 a.m., Thursday, 24th April 1969
Sweaters etc., (continued)
66.
Reverting to Table 2(1), Mr. Jordan remarked on the enormous imports from South Korea which were concentrated on women's and girls' acrylic fibre twinsets. He felt those figures denoted a distorted market and thought it necessary to go back to 1965 for normal market conditions. By reference to 1965 figures production and imports had both settled down by 1968, and there would not be any case against Hong Kong on the figures in Table 2(i) alone. Turning to the more specialised tables for the individual items under restraint, he agreed there was some degree of interchangeability between wool and acrylic around the fringes, but not at the hard core. For instance, Korean acrylics were only successful in women's twinsets but not in men's
wear.
67.
Mr. Jordan enquired if imports of women's and girls' acrylic knitwear from South Korea were restricted. Baron de Geer explained that his Government had a system of import licensing to limit such imports to a pre-determined level, but there was no formal restraint and there was no built-in procedure for consultations. On Specification of non-cotton garments Table (2)(i)(b), discontinuous synthetic for men and boys, Mr. Jordan thought he could discern a different picture. Production was up and total imports were down. Although Hong Kong was not restricted, imports from Hong Kong represented only a minute portion of the market, and at 1968, were even less than those for 1965 and 1966. The main suppliers were Denmark and Korea.
68.
After analysing the individual tables Mr. Jordan said he could see a case for both woollen items, and for women's and girls' discontinuous synthetic fibre knitwear only. Baron de Geer confirmed that his Government would not be interested in further restraint on women's and girls' continuous synthetic fibre knitwear.
Anoraks and similar Jackets
69.
Mr. Jordan asked if he could first revert to the query Mr. Ho raised in the Second Session regarding the discrepancies in the figures. Mr. Henriksson said that all he could say was that the figures given in Geneva were incorrect. The total production figures for the three quarters of 1967 and 1968 should be 608 and 618 as given in the present tables which he confirmed as accurate.
70.
Baron de Geer said that his Government would want discontinuous synthetics for women's and girls' wear to be included, because fashion being what it was, and there being no hard and fast rules to determine what were men's and boys' wear, and what were women's and girls'. Naturally that would entail additional quotas. Mr. Bernunger also added that there were no regulations as to how manufacturers were to specify which items were for men's and boys' wear and which were for women's and girls' : production statistics were merely compiled on the manufacturers returns. Mr. Jordan said there was an alternative which he favoured: remove the quotas on men's and boys' discontinuous. He observed there was not much demand on the discontinuous` side, as compared with the continuous: of the total of 549 from Hong Kong in 1968, only 108 were discontinuous. Mr. Bernunger stated that discontinuous synthetics were being substituted for cotton. Mr. Jordan disagreed as Mr. Bernunger's explanation failed to account of the fact
/that the total
....
CONFIDENTIAL