TNAG-0145-FCO40-181-Exports-of-textiles-to-United-States-of-America-1969 — Page 32

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year and it will not be possible to establish whether or not the growth in imports has caused serious injury to domestic producers of like products until production figures for the

ů

or/su

whole or substantial part of 1968 are available. Hong Kong

and Italy supplied most of the wool sweaters. Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, in that order, were the principal suppliers of man-made fibre sweaters. Imports of wool sweaters have increased only marginally since 1965 and the question arises whether the United States knitters have been put at a disadvantage by having to pay a much higher price than the Asian producers for acrylan and other man-made staple fibres.

22.

The high price of man-made fibres in the United States may be of wider significance. The increase in imports of cotton apparel between 1966 and 1968 was only 6 per cent compared to 144 per cent in the case of man-made fibre apparel, and the

import of

total for/man-made fibre apparel now exceeds that for cotton. The pressure of demand, which was reflected in a 25 per cent increase in domestic production of woven m.m.f. fabrics,

undoubtedly contributed to the increase in imports in 1968,

accrued

but the price advantage which aeeered to Asian producers using Japanese materials must also have been a factor.

23. The following table shows that imports of apparel have been concentrated on a relatively small number of lines, and the more detailed breakdown at Annex E shows that in most cases the

increase has been wholly or mainly in man-made fibre articles. In some cases, e.g. shirts, imports of cotton garments have

actually declined.

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