TNAG-0147-FCO40-183-Exports-of-textiles-to-United-States-of-America-1969 — Page 53

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from that of the U.K. Government to the U.K. industry

in many respects.

35.

Mr. Jones harking back to Mr. Nehmer's point

that m.m.f. imports had for the first time exceeded

cotton imports remarked that the only conclusion that

could be drawn from this was that n.n.f. textiles were

now in greater demand than cotton textiles. No inference

could be drawn that because one was greater than the

other there was therefore injury.

36.

Mr. Nehmer responded by giving some statistics

relating to inport/consumption ratios. At the time the

L.T.A. was negotiated, the import/consumption ratio for

cotton was 60% and for man-made fibre textiles 30%; in

1968 the import/consumption ratio for cotton was 42%

and for man made fibre textiles 54%. The significant

feature of the switch to man made fibre textiles was

that imports of these went unregulated; imports of cotton

on the other hand were covered by a network of comprehensive

restraints.

37.

With regard to paragraph 6 of the H.K. Government's

Note, Mr. Nehmer said that he would invite Mr. Blackman

to speak on employment. He would confine his remarks

to saying that since January 1969 some 33,000 jobs had

been lost in the textile and apparel industry in the

United States.

/38.

CONFIDENTIAL