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Show uu- SWISS TO MAKE THE DYESTUFFS "Washington, July 12. Negotiations were begun today through the trade advisers In the state department and the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce for co-operation between dye manufacturers of the United States and Switzerland to meet scarcity of dyestuffs resulting from Ihe cutting off of German coal-tar dyes. American manufacturers seek to utilize the Swiss dye works pending the development of the industry in the United States The Swiss plants heretofore have received from Germany Ger-many supplies of so-called Intermediate Interme-diate coal-tar products to be con.1-verted con.1-verted into the finished dyes. Germany Ger-many now threatens to cut off this supply on the ground that the finished fin-ished products were being exported by Switzerland to Franco and England Eng-land The new American dyestuff industry indus-try fostered by the department of commerce since the beginning of the European war is now in a position to furnish substantial quantities of intermediates, and the plan is to havo this product shipped to Switzerland for the finishing process Statement Is Issued. A statement of the situation issued by the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce today asserts that the effects ef-fects of the dyestuff famine arc becoming be-coming more and more apparent. "In some instances textile mills are forced to shut down for the time being uhtll new supplies of color can be obtained," says the statement. "This is especially true of works consuming con-suming large amounts of Indigo, the lack of which has now become very acute." Manufacturers, according to the bu reau, are substituting brown denim for the well-known blue variety because be-cause of the indigo scarcity, but the new color has met with little approval appro-val from merchants and consumers. Such changes are being made in many industries. "In the meantime," the statement adds, "the few American manufacturers manufactur-ers of coal-tar dyes are steadily expanding ex-panding their plants and are producing produc-ing dyestuffs in quantities hitherto unknown. un-known. Equally noteworthy is the "feady increase in the manufacture oi Intermediates by firms later started In this field." In one instance an American firm is said to have developed the manufacture manufac-ture of a coal-tar "direct black" dye, which replaces the German dyes heretofore here-tofore used, particularly In the hosiery industry. AVhlle efforts are being continued to secure dyestuffs from Germany, the Berlin authorities refuse to allow any shipment unless free passage to Germany Ger-many Is guaranteed for American cotton cot-ton or other products of equal value. Making Munitions. "Information from abroad," the statement continues, "leads to the conclusion that the activity of the great German dyestuffs works has been diverted largely into the manufacture manu-facture of munitions of war and hospital hos-pital supplies." Despite that, the bureau says the German manufacturers have on hand a stock of dyes "adequate to meet the pressing needs of the moment and to cover the needs of American consumers con-sumers for months to comef" and adds: "Everything points to the conclusion that German manufacturers will, In event of a cessation of hostilities, tr to promptly stock the American market,, mar-ket,, and will vigorously endeaver to regain all ground lost during the past embargo. The department of commerce com-merce is carefully watching the situation, sit-uation, and will not hesitate to "recommend "rec-ommend such action as may prove necessary to prevent 'unfair competition' competi-tion' by foreign producers on our soil against developing American dyestuff industry." The bureau is co-operating with the federal trade commission to devise meanB to protect the new industry at the war's end. I |
