The Dyestuffs Act
Naturally Mr. Baldwin denounced Mr. Snowden's decision to discontinue the Dyestuffs Act and we are bound to say that we agree with him, though we approach the matter with economic convictions different from his. The Act was given a period of ten years, but, as Mr. James Morton justifiably pointed out in the Times, two of those ten years were lost by the inrush of dyestuffs from abroad following the Sankey judgment, and since 1922 the textile trade has been so dc.Tress.,1 that thcre has been no normal demand for dyes. The effect of discontinuing the Act will be to produce a fresh uncer- tainty in circumstances where "knowing where we are" is the kind of knowledge most desired by manufacturers. Mr. Morton is the chief user of dyes in this country, and though he is in principle a Free Trader he is satisfied that the research work which the dye-makers are happily conducting now is a national asset which ought not to be sacrificed. He also fears that the removal of the Act may cause indiscriminate dumping.
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