Soviet Dumping

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and a certain quantity has come upon the United Kingdom
market.” And this admission was made at a time when the
Soviet Press itself was devoting much space to the scandal
of the high prices charged for textile goods to the Russian
people. Furthermore, * textiles * are so scarce in Russia
that they have become the most coveted commodity in the
Soviet Union and the Government has actually adopted
them as the most prized form of bonus for *“ loyal ”* workers.
On this important question also we have a frank admission
 by the Soviet Ambassador in London. In an interview
given to the Manchester Guardian (November 21st, 1930),
he said : ““ It is the constant aim of our financial and economic
 policy to make the prices on the internal market in the
Soviet Union independent, as far as possible, of the fluctuation
 of prices on the world market.” He gave no figures to
illustrate this independence, but this deficiency has been
made good by figures from other sources.
Thus Mr. J. Toole, M.P., who visited Moscow in 1930, gave
in the Daily Herald, August 28th, the following prices :
Butter, 19s. 6d. a lb.; stockings, 35s. a pair; eggs, Is.
sach ; apples, 4s. each; chickens, 20s. each.
Only two months later the Manchester Guardian (October
13th, 1930), stated that a pair of Russian ducks were sold
at zs. a pair at the Ringwood market. Russian butter could
be purchased in any of the London and Provincial stores for
prices as low as 114d. a 1b. And whilst the price of a cake
of soap in Soviet Russia was as high as 8s., Russian soap
was sold in London at £20 a ton.
Finally, conclusive proof of the widespread nature of
Soviet dumping is to be found in the determined action
taken against it by a number of European countries and
particularly in the declaration made by the International
Chamber of Commerce. It should be noted also that such
great business men as Sir Felix Schuster and M. Joseph
Sacks have emphasised the menace of Soviet dumping
both as regard its present dimensions as well as its future
possibilities, and have warned the civilised world of the
consequences of indifference and lethargy.