§ Mr. Haleasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the progressive decline of production 166W of cotton yarn and of weaving of cotton cloth in the United Kingdom, and the greater decline in the United Kingdom percentage of world trade; and what action he proposes to take.
§ Mr. JayProduction of yarn and cloth, including man-made fibres, by the British cotton industry has been reasonably stable over the last five years. The longer term decline in production and in our share of the world market in these goods has been due to increasing competition, especially from the expanding industries of the developing countries. I have made international arrangements to limit the impact of this competition on the home market for the next five years; and I hope that during this period the reorganisation of the British industry now in progress will enable us to meet international competition more successfully and to increase our exports of cotton and man-made fibre textiles.