Regarding the Tribune`s editorial about the textile bill, I would like to bring several points to your attention and to the attention of your readers:
1) Despite all assertions to the contrary, textile and apparel imports are simply and plainly devastating the domestic industry: 400,000 U.S. jobs have been lost in the last decade, including a loss of 66,000 jobs from March of 1989 to March of 1990.
2) In the first quarter of 1990, the textile industry lost 47 million dollars, while retailers enjoyed profits of $2.5 billion during the same period. Already this year, 38 textile and apparel plants employing 7,000 workers shut down or sharply curtailed operations.
3) There is no reason why the bill would cause clothing prices to increase. There is no rollback of trade, and U.S. market growth is shared between importers and domestic producers.
4) The U.S. textile industry is the most modern and productive in the world. Foreign manufacturers do not have some natural inherent advantage in producing these goods, in spite of their wages, which are a fraction of ours. 5) Imports have 60 percent of the apparel market. If that trend continues, imports will soon overwhelm the U.S. market.
The textile bill has been at bat in Congress three times since 1985. This is the right legislation at the right time.
