THE STORY OF ARTIFICIAL SILK

Fassini. They are men of great ability and
ambition. Their aim is “to accomplish in
the world’s textile industry what Henry
Ford has done in the motor-car trade.” In
the main, they are concentrating upon the
making of the coarser and cheaper yarns.
They are determined to make * Artificial
Cotton **

As for the British Celanese Company, there
is not much that can be said until its new
Directors have been given a charce to carry
out their policies.

This company had a bad start. It was
founded by the aid of the Government in
1911. It had a capital of £5,400,000, half of
which was paid by the Government. At first
it made enormous losses. It paid no dividend
on its ordinary shares for 16 years. It was
one more instance of the fact that State
control is always disastrous.

Then, in 1927, it was taken over by
the Dreyfus brothers—two eminent Swiss
chemists. The Government sold all its shares
—sold them at the bottom. If it had waited
a few months and sold at the top, it would
have made a profit of £4,800,000.

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