1931-04-16 — Page 9

LANCASHIRE TRADE IN FAR EAST.

GOODS MUST BE PLACED AT COMPETITIVE PRICES.

BRITISH COTTON MISSION'S REPORT.

(THROUGH REUTER'S AGENDT.)

LONDON, April 15.

A stern warning to Lancashire that she cannot hope to regain or even retain her trade in the Far East unless her goods are placed on the market at competitive prices is contained in the Report of the British "Cotton Mission which visited the Far East last winter under the Chairmanship of Sir Ernest Thompson.

Importance of Lancashire's Üloser Touch With China Market.

The Mission lays stress on the importance of Lancashire's getting into closer touch with the China market, and recommenda the setting up of a special organisation for this purpose.

Prices Must Not Exceed Those of Japan,

After pointing out that Japan as a market is virtually closed, the Report says that China still needs to import a large quantity of piece goods, but owing to the reduced purchasing power, of the people quality has become a secondary consideration, and it Lanenabire is to recover any of the lost ground her prices mart not exceed those of her principal competitor, Japan.

Present Method of Marketing Far From Satisfactory. The Report points out Japan's advantage in cost at every stage of production, the cumulative effect of which is considerable, and emphasises that a reduction in British costs in the first. essential Pointing out that the rust of merchanting and distribu tion also enters into the prices at which Lancashire goods can he sold, the Report declares that the present position with regard to marketing is far from satisfactory.

Formation of Company to. Control Export and Sales,

The Mission investigated various suggestions designed to increase the sale of British piece goods, all centring round the formation of a company in Britain to control the export and sale of Lancashire goods in China, either at the treaty ports to importing houses, leaving the distribution to. Chinese dealers, as at present, or at trosty ports direct to Chinese dealers, or by undertaking the whole of the sale and distribution through its own agents.

Radical Improvement in Exporting and Marketing Essential,

The Report says: We have come to the conclusion that it would not be wise for any company to embark on up-country trading in view of the prevailing unrest and possible opposition from existing deniors. We favour, however, holding stocks in China of bulk lines, the trade in which Lanenshire must recover if she is to see any real improvement; but it is quite impossible to visualise holding stocks in any considerable quantities while Lancashire's business is conducted through so large a number of merchants, all competing one with another. We are satisfied there. will be no improvement without a radical alteration in the methods of exporting and marketing."

Standardisation of Qualities for China,

Recommending the setting up of a special organisation, the Mission anys that if this is done it should be 'possible for it to arrange for the standardisation of the qualities required for the China market and place orders with spinners, manufacturers ami finishers of such dimensions as to secure that the goods, could be manufactured and finished at very much lower costs than those prevailing at present.

Such an organisation would be in a position to ascertain the requirements of the market and maintain stocks at more select points. It could maintain its own organisation in China and work either through the existing importing houses or a selected number of them, or if this proved to be impracticable or for any reason undesirable, the organisation in China could work through Chinese dealers or its own appointed agents as circumstances required. An alteration in the marketing system, however, is not sufficient.

Costs Must be Reduced to Trada at Competitive Prices. An early appreciable increase in production costs in the East is improbable, and therefore the Report urges all engaged in the inthistry from buying raw cotton to the sale of the finished article to consider seperately or jointly how costs can be reduced so as to enable yarn and cloth to be placed. on the market at competi- tive prices.

The Report concludes :--" There is no hope for Lancashire increasing her trade, in the markets of the East unless radical changes are made."

Economic Mission's Report Confirms Foregoing,

The Report of the Economic Mission which visited the Far East simultaneously has not yet been published, but it is stated that it confirms and supports the Colton Mission's recommenda- tions, and expresses the opinion that no industry so dependent on exports us British cotton can continue to exist unless it is fully competitive with other countries..

NEW ZEALAND "QUAKE.

WARM PRAISE FOR NAVAL MEN.

BRITISH WIRELESS SERVICE.).

RUGBY, April 14. "In a despatch to the Secretary for the Colonics (Lord Passfeld) on the subjret of the New Zealand earthquake, the Governor-General (Lord Bledisloe) pays a tribute to the work of unval officers and men, both at the time of the disaster, and subsequently.

SITUATION IN PORTUGAL.

WHOLE COUNTRY REPORTED

TO BE TRANQUIL,

With regard to the telegraphic rows published concerning the situation in Portgue! and the adjacent islands the following telegram has been received by the Consul General for Portugal in Hong Kong from His Excellency the Governor of Macao transmit- ting a telographic message roosived yesterday from the Minister for the Colonies in Lisbon:-

"The whole country is tranquil; He states that the presence and splendid behaviour of men from large and important manifestations the sloop H.M,S, Veronica, who of support from the Municipalities and the people of the respective landed within 15 minutes of the districts The Nuvy has initiated a

Transmis disaster, did much to check the blockade of Madeira. panic, and greatly helped to main- sion of correspondence and com- tain order among the population,munication from and to Azorian encouraging them to participato in ports, Angra, Posta Delgada, and Funchal in Madaira have been valuable rescue operations.

In addition, officers and men of stopped. From Funchal absolute- H.M.S. Veronica and the cruisers ly false now has boon sent, against Dunedin and Diomede performed which the public should be warn- invaluable services of varied deed. sriptions for the benefit of the atricken towns.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1931.

JAPAN'S NEW MINISTRY.

RETRENCHMENT POLICY TO CONTINUE,

(THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.]

Toxo, April is. The resignation of Mr. Hamagu chi's finistry has been received with regret.

Mr. Hamaguchi's sterling chorne. ter won for him the respect and admiration of the whole country

The vernacular papers, however, while deploring the circumstances leading to the termination of Mr. Hamaguchi's Ministry, are unani mous in welcoming Baron Walk tauki's appointment to the Premier ship sad the reappointment of all the principal members of the form er Cabinet.

This is interpreted as meaning that Mr. Hamaguchi's policies will continue in principle.

Count Inouya is quoted ne na serting that the retrenchment policy will be continued as resolutely as

Every

IMPERIAL ECONOMIC

CONFERENCE.

TO BE HELD THIS SUMMER

AT OTTAWA,

[AKITIGH WIRELESS SERVICE]

Rcony, April 14.

MAJESTIC HOTEL SITE.

PURCHASE PROPOSAL RE JECTED BY RATEPAYERS.

{THROUGH' REUTER'S AGENCY.] '

SHANGHAI, April 16. At the Ratepayers' Meeting this afternoon the proposal to purchase the Majestic Hotel sito for Tagia 3,100,000 was rejected by a very large majority.

Brigadier General MacNaghton, inter alia, remarked that the Shanghai Municipal Council had no fault to find with the working of the. District Court criminal cases were concerned.

BO far NS

Japanese Vote Solidly Against

Rejected Revolution. (From Our Own Correspondest.)

LATER.

After a spirited two-hour debate at the annual Ratepayers' Meeting. among. ton "speakers, a resolution relative to the proposed purchase of the Majestic Hotel grounds for the purpose of converting them into a civic centre was defeated when the Chairman warned the meeting. that the purchase would surely cause increased rates, which meant an intolerable birden on the com

The Dominions Secretary, Mr. J. H. Thomas, in the House of Community. mon to-day, stated that arrange ments for the Imperial Economic

Conference to be held at Ottawa this summer wore in the hunds of

the Canadian Government.

It wemed likely that all the Dominions would be represented, although he had not heard so de finitely.

Preparations for the Conference, ao far as the United Kingdom wore concerned, were in active progress.

BRITISH HEALTH

PROBLEMS.

MATERNAL MORTALITY TOO HIGH TO BE TOLERABLE.

[BRITION WIRELESS SERVICE.]

RUGBY, April 14, In the House of Commons to-day, the Minister of Health, Mr. Green- wood, referring to the problem of housing, said there were 10,000 more houses under contruction now than a year ago.

He spoke with satisfaction of the smoothness with which the trans- Jer of the Poor Law function from Boards of Guardians to local au- thorities with a view to securing their co-operation in dealing with the problem of maternal mortality.

The present death-rate in child- birth in the country was higher than, in the existing state of knowledge, the public could con tinue to tolerato,

COAL MINING HOURS OF

WORK.

PROSPECT OF INTERNA- TIONAL CONVENTION,

[BRITISH WIRELESS SERVICE)

RUGBY, April 14. Answering a Parliamentary ques tion regarding his recent visit to Berlin to confer on the coal situa- tion, Mr. E. Shinwell, Secretary for Mines, stated that as a result of this and other similar informal dis- cussions, the views of several Göy- ernments had been mutually ad- justed and find considerably in- creased the prospect of an early adoption of the International Con- vention on hours of work in coal mines.

Soveral Governments were con-

corned, including the Polish; Bel- gian, Fronch, and German:

LORD IRWIN DEPARTS FOR HOME.

MEETING GANDHI AT BOMBAY:

·

(THROUGH REUTER'S'AGENCE,] "

The Japanese element voted solidly against the resolution, while the foreign women's clubs strongly supported the scheme.

BOXER INDEMNITY FUND..

LONDON PURCHASING COMMITTEE CREATED,

{THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.}

LONDON, April 14.

A "London Purchasing Com- mittee" has been appointed to spend £4,000,000 out of the Boxer the Indemnity Fund for use оп Chinese Railway,

The Chairman will be the Chin- ese Minister in London, one Chin. eso member being Mr. C. C. Wang, ex-Managing Director of Chinese Eastern Railway, and the others British, including Sir Ar- thur Balfour, Bir Basil Blackett, and Sir Ralph Wedgwood.

the

been appointed in Nanking, and A similar Sino-British body has will be under the National Covera-

ment.

1.

Bir Arthur Balfour,

A member of the British Economy Advisory Council, director of the National Provincial Bank, of High Speed Alloys, Ltd., and of Shef- feld cutlery Arres

Bir Basil Blackett.. Director of the Bank of England, chairman, Imperial and Interna tional Communications, Ltd, direo- for of all the loading British cable companies, and formerly. Finance Member of the Executive Council of the Government of India.

Sir Ralph Wedgwood, Chief General Manager of the London and North-Eastern Railway since 1923,

MURDER WITH

GERMS?

ANOTHER NEW YORK

DEATH_MYSTERY.

BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION.

BONUS SYSTEM · APPROVED BY STOCKHOLDERS.

[REUTER'S AMERICAN SERVICE)

New York, April 16. Seventy-two, per cent. of the the Bethlehem stockholders Steel Corporation have approved of the bonus system at present in force.

This is a victory for the board of directors, as on January 14 four stockholders asked the Channery Court at Newark, New Jersey, to compel the directors to refund to the corporation over 200,000,000 which they alleged was paid in bonuser siner 1911.

The suit was intended to bring about the entire climination of the bonus system.

RUBBER PRODUCTION

RESTRICTION.

MEETING OF DUTCH COMMITTEE.

{THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.]

LAST BOURBON MONARCH LEAVES SPAIN.

FORMAL ABDICATION OF CROWN NOT PERFORMED. KING DID NOT SIGN ANY DOCUMENT.

(THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.] ·

MADID, April 15. Though King Alfonso has left, the country it is authoritatively learned that he has not formally abdicated and did not sign any document before his departure.

Sad Procession Stealthily Loaves Madrid.

While Cartagena was sleeping at four o'clock this morning a proces sion of five cars entered the city and hurried to the naval shipyard,

It was a sad procession which seven hours earlier had stealthily left Madrid to smuggle ex-King Alfonso out of his country.

Takes Farowolt of Queen Ena, Ex-King Alonso embraced and took farewell of ox-Queen, Ena and members of their family.

As ex-King Alfonso left the

chamber, the halberdiers anlated

and the officers, cried "Long Live King Alfonso "

Displaying no emotion, the ex- King entered the lift, saying only "Long Live Spain

Many spectators of his departure were in tears.

Ex-King Exhorts "Calm and

Tranquility."

The ex-King recommended "enim and tranquility." and left the Two companies of bluejackets Painon, He took his sent alone in drawn up on the quayside anluted one of the waiting cars, and the the ex-King.

cortège hurried off.

After a few handshakes ox-King | Alfonso walked smartly up the the Principo gangway aboard Alfonso.

Touching Scanes On Öruisor's Deck, A touching scene was witnessed as he stepped on deak. Two naval ofcern sprang to attention and shouted: "Long Live the King !"

"Long Live Spain !" the ex-King Alfonso replied, raising his hat.

His words were eloquent of the patriotic motives which led him to sacrifice his crown,

Provisional Government's

Proclamation,

To-day has been declared a national festival.

The proclamintion by the new.j Government says:-

The Provisional Government of the Republic bas taken over power without formality and without re- sistance. It assumes the headship of the State with the express assent of the triumphant political forces registered by the popular vote at the elections Interpreting the un- hesitating desire of the nation, a "I Am Only Being True to My

Committee of the public forces, Traditions."

whose coalition has been catablish- "Sire, I am sorry," came fromed to inaugurate a now regime, mittae have convoked a meeting, the quivering lips of the Captain to be held tomorrow, to form a General as he stretched out his now Association and work out an hand in farewell agreement with the Committee of

"I am only being trie to my the British Rubber Growers' As-traditions," replied ex-King Allon- sociation.

AMSTERDAM, April 14. An important move to pursue efforts to enforce restriction of rub- ber production has been taken hore, Four members of the Dutch Com.

SOUTHAMPTON PORT SCHEME.

PREPARATION FOR LARGER LINERS.

(BRITISH WIRELESS SERVICE]

RUOBY, April 14. Within a few weeks, operations are to begin to give the deep water channol at Southampton a uniform width of 1,000 fet.

At present, the channel is 35 fect doop at low water and narrows to 800 feet from Fawley Beacon to the docks.

The new scheme will cost no less than £240,000.

It is part of a plan for prepar- ing the port to receive oven bigger ligera

LO.

The End, That was the end.

Ex-King Alfonso was quickly con. ducted to his cabin, the anchor was weighed, and the dark shape of the cruiser slowly disappeared.

•

Ex-King Leaves a Manifesto, Ex-Queen Ena and her daughtera left for Irun,

Ex-King Alfonso left behind a inanifesto with instruction not to publish it until he had left Spain.

There was a moving scene as ex- King Alfonen left the palace en route to Cartagena,

"I Depart with a Quiet Conscience."

The ex-King turned to his en- tourage and said:-

"I depart with a quiet con- science."

Ex-King Alfonso, who at that moment appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown, was unable to finish the last words.

Work will also begin shortly on

A cortège of five cars, one of the now dock to house the new which contained a sergeant of the 73,000-ton Cunard liner now underCivil Guard and seven men fully construction.

armed, waited outside the Palace.

This dock will be 1,200 feet long and 135 feet wide, with a depth of 45 foot

CANADA'S MINERAL

able

WEALTH.

POSSIBILITIES IN THE

ARCTIC.

Winnipeg, Canada. The Vener- Archdenean Archibald L. Fleming, who is called "Archdes- can of the Arctic" and whose dioerse covers thousands of square miles in the Canadian North, hus declared in an address here that the region in which he has Inbour- ed for many years was one of great potential wealth and that its value to the Dominion could not be mini- mized. There was much in the Mackenzie river district, coal at Fond Inlet, the most northerly trading post in the world; copper in the Coppermine river dristict; one-of-the-greatest-iron deposits in existence in the Hudson Bay dis-

New York.--Murder by the injec.trict. tion of pneumonia germs is the ex- planation advanced for the death of Georgia Gray, a former actress, the second witness to police corruption and vico whose mouth has been silenced before she could tell her story.

Archdeacon Fleming predicted rapid development of the Arctic with the opening shortly of the Hudson Bay-Atlantic route Churchill and extension of the Ontario Government's railroad to James Bay at the southern ex- Mr. Samuel.Marcus, chief counsel tremity of Hudson Bay, To a for the Society for the Prevention large degree, he said, the tradi NEW DELHI, April 14.

of Crime, is awaiting the result of tional isolation of the North lind Lord and Lady Irwin were given an analysis of the girl's organs to vanished, with erection of Govern- a magnificent send-off when they substantiate his theory that deadly ment wireless stations at strategic son who had been known to threat mail services and with increasing left for Bombay to day, en route serms were administered by a per points, with the provision of air to England.

Gandhi-is-ing the rotiringen her if she persisted in her exploration and survey by govern

determination to tell all she knew i meuta and private interents.———— Viceroy at Bombay on Thursday."

about a certain police informer and The Archdeacon stated, that 00 an ex-member of the police vice per cent, of the native Eskimos squad.

still live in apow huts, or igloos. The white, traders, according to his observation, treated the Eskimo

`NICARAGUAN. REBELLION.

AMERICANS AND BRITONS KILLED.

Georgia. Gray's hotel room was recently broken into and her be longings searched: It is known well. They were not, of course. that she had received telephone operating charitable agencies and calls warning her to Iny off."

many things might be improved, When admitted to hospital the girl but undoubtedly they had increased refused to take any medicine until the value to the Eskimb of the reassured by officials of the Crime furs which were his living. Work in the educational field was going Prevention Society.

forward he aided, and Aretiv development largely depended upon the claas of men sent into the arca by the Government and upon the manner in which the Eskimos were adapted to modern' customs.

The following telegram has been [REUTER'S AMERICAN BERVICE]. received by the Consul-General for

NEW ORLEANS, 'April 15, Lord Bledisloo, comments highly Portugel in Hong Kong from His on the small band of doctors and Excellency the Governor of Macau Eleven Americana and an un-

The mystery of her death comes aursos who helped to bring relief transmitting a-telegraphic messago-known number of British subjaots:

as a sequel to that of Vivian Gor and comfort to an apparently end received heaterday (April 15) were killed by Nicaraguan insur- less stream of injured in the first from the Minister for the Colonice gents advancing on Puerto Cabezas, don. No elus leading to the iden hours of the disaster, and reorganis in Lisbon:-"Complete tranquility according to reports received by tity of the murderer has yet been the Standard Fruit and Steamship discovered, despite offers of liberal od hospital-services as rapidly as prevails in all the Continent and

rewarda. Company here in the Colonies" possible.

་

designates Senor Alcara Zamora to the Presidency of the Provisional - Government of the Republic,”.

The Government detailed. special detachment of the Civil Guard wearing red brassards to patrol the neighbourhood of the Palace throughout the night in order that popular demonstrations of joy should not offend the sus-. ceptibilities of ex-Queen, Ena and her children before theit departure in the morning.

Prisoners Released at Barcelona;

BARCELONA, April 15.

The city is en féle to-day in spite of a general strike and the. proclamation of martial-law follow- ing the serious incidents of last night reminiscent of the French

Revolution.

A crowd numbering thousanda besieged the gaol demanding the release of "political prisoners, un aware that an order for thoir re- lease had already been given.

The crowd tried to set on fire and storm the prison.

The Governor of the prison, in order to avoid bloodshed, released prisoncra, including all

the

criminals,

There were similar scenes at the women's prison, where the finger- print department was destroyed.

(Continupad on Page 6.)

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