20 JUNE 1925, Page 2

When the Committee of Inquiry into the lace manu- facturing

trade reported in favour of a protective duty it was plain that we should not have to wait long for an experiment in that direction, and on Thursday, June 11th, the President of the Board of Trade moved in the House of Commons a resolution imposing a 83i per cent. ad valorem duty on imported lace and kindred materials for five years, with rebates on re-exports. The resolution was carried by a majority of 110 including several Labour members. It is said that foreign manufacturers take more trouble than the British in reproducing artistic designs, but the main reason for the sad condition of the trade lies in decreased demand, partly due to the decreased purchasing power of the world since the War, partly to the changes of fashion. Women use less of these delicate ornaments of dress since they lead more active lives than their grandmothers ; and we understand that they wear less material that cannot be safely trusted to the vigorous mangling of steam laundries. Protection will, not uproot those facts.

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