WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1979
+ IT IS TRUE THAT EMPLOYMENT IN TEXTILES AND CLOTHING DID DECLINE BETWEEN 1970 AND 1977, THOUGH BY LESS THAN FIVE PER CENT - AND BETWEEN 1977 AND 1978 IT DIDN'T DECLINE AT ALL BUT WE MUST LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR THE EXPLANATION.
+IN TEXTILES IT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO THOSE IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCTIVITY, WHICH, WITH MORE RECENTLY THE ADVANTAGE OF CONTROLLED OIL PRICES, HAVE MADE THE U.S. THE LOWEST-COST PRODUCER OF MANY FABRICS, AND SO UPSET EUROPEAN MANUFACTURERS,+ HE SAID.
SO FAR AS THE U.S. APPAREL INDUSTRY IS CONCERNED, A STUDY PUBLISHED EARLIER THIS YEAR BY THE GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS INSTITUTE HAD SAID THAT DUE TO THE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE NATURE OF THE INDUSTRY, MANY OF THE APPAREL FIRMS WHICH CLOSED IN THE PAST TWO DECADES WOULD HAVE CLOSED EVEN WITHOUT IMPORT COMPETITION, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT COMPETE WITH MORE EFFICIENT DOMESTIC FIRMS.
MR. JORDAN SAID THE STUDY ALSO STATED THAT THE U.S. APPAREL MANUFACTURERS WERE SUCCESSFUL IN OBTAINING A LEVEL OF INDUSTRY PROTECTIONISM PERHAPS UNPARALLELED IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
✦THE STUDY ADDED THAT IN DOING SO, HOWEVER, THEY DID LITTLE TO ENHANCE THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE POSITION OF THE INDUSTRY, BECAUSE THE PROTECTION THEY OBTAINED ALLOWED THE FIRMS TO POSTPONE THE ACTIONS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE THEIR COMPETITIVENESS,+ HE SAID.
COMMENTING ON THE SUBSIDIES COUNTRIES PAY TO PROTECT THE IR INDUSTRIES, MR. JORDAN REFERRED TO TWO U.S. ESTIMATES.
+THE CONSUMERS FOR WORLD TRADE RECKONED THAT THE TOTAL COST OF PROTECTION FOR U.S. INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING AGRICULTURE, IS PRETTY STAGGERING - 15 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS A YEAR, AND THAT THE U.S. PUBLIC IS PAYING OVER THREE BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR TO PROTECT TEXTILES AND APPAREL WHILE THE OFFICIAL COUNCIL ON WAGE AND PRICE STABILITY, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S INFLATION MONITORING AGENCY, HAS CALCULATED THAT IT COSTS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC US$81 000 A YEAR FOR EACH TEXTILE JOB PROTECTED.
+MR. MCNAMARA SUMMED IT ALL UP VERY NEATLY IN HIS UNCTAD Y SPEECH, WHEN HE SAID THAT THE TRUTH IS THAT
V PROTECTION ISM IS INEFFICIENT, COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE AND, ULTIMATELY, SELF-DEFEATING,+ SAID MR. JORDAN.
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