world at large and, more particularly, in securing the agreement
of our traditional Commonwealth suppliers, notably Hong Kong
and India, to carry on with their present export control
arrangements
in fact, while Hong Kong will probably agree,
under protest, to continue to co-operate it is unlikely that we
will ever get the Indians to agree to anything. Nevertheless,
on balance I am satisfied that despite all these difficulties,
which are not inconsiderable, we must do what we can to contain
imports in 1972, not only as an acknowledgement of our
awareness of Lancashire's problems in the present conditions of
unemployment but also to ease the move towards adaptation of
our policies with those of the Community. In presenting our
change of policy, we shall have to say that the modalities of
entry into the EEC and high unemployment have created a situation
rather different from that foreseen when the original decisions
about tariffs and no quotas were made the UK cannot in these
new circumstances sustain a liberal textile import policy when
the rest of the world does not and we would still be taking a
far higher proportion of low-cost textile imports than any other
major industrial country.
-
The debate on the Affirmative Resolution introducing the
Commonwealth textile tariff will be held in the week beginning
29 November. I would want to announce the retention of quotas
during this debate. I should therefore be glad if you and my
colleagues would indicate within the next few days that you
accept my proposals and that I have your agreement to proceed with
the imposition of the tariff and the retention of quotas from
1 January 1972.
4