TNAG-0345-FCO40-381-UK-and-Hong-Kong-talks-on-cotton-textiles-1972 — Page 167

Towels

But if we did not, we should be left in a very exposed position if too many products were allowed to go into the basket. and sheets in particular (both of which are included in the EEC's basket) are far too sensitive to be dropped out of the UK's list of sensitive categories. Alignment to the EBC system as it stands therefore cannot be considered at this stage. However we can offer a measure of revision of the present categorisation in the Hong Kong/UK arrangement. Hong Kong has nineteen sensitive categories broken down as follows

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Grey cloth Finished cloth 4 *

Made-ups

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* including an extra finished sheeting and bedsheet

quota introduced for India and Hong Kong only at the beginning of 1969.

The following rationalisation would be proposed:

i abolish the separate quota for handkerchiefs

which we understand that Hong Kong has decided not to use7.

ii merge the three separate quotas for

a

b

male coats and trousers

female trousers

raincoats and anoraks.

This would leave seven sensitive categories for made-ups as opposed to the present ten, the revised list reading

1)

towels

(present category 13)

2)

bedlinen other than sheets

(present category 14)

3)

sheets

(present category 14a)

4)

coats, raincoats, anoraks, trousers

(present categories 16, 17 and 20)

5)

shirts

6)

7)

(present category 18)

dresses, skirts, housecoats (present category 19) nightwear and underwear (present category 21)

Hong Kong Group V

This uncategorised Group covers items which were newly restrained in 1966 (eg threads, tents and tarpaulins, woven stockings and socks, belts of woven fabrics, toy flags, sacks and bags (other than for packing purposes) and woven fabric gloves). Hong Kong uses almost all of its entitlement (2.485 m sq yds in 1971) for fabric gloves (2.1 m sq yds in the first ten months of 1971). We could offer to abolish it as a separate entity and add an equivalent yardage to the ceiling for Group IV (made up goods). This would provide the following total for made-ups:

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