CONDITIONS IN PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES, 265
prices were made up by the committee, they were telegraphed to the
members who bound themselves to observe them under penalty of
a fine equal to double the difference between the quoted and actual
price where the violation was voluntarily reported, and fivefold in a
case of recognized fraud. A sworn comptroller was designated, to
whom the spinners were obliged to submit their accounts.
The regulation of prices, however, had to be abandoned, as the
members feared that parliamentary action would be taken to lower
the tariff which protected the industry. But the members continued
 to meet once a week at Ghent. General conditions of sale
were adopted and fines for violation of them were imposed, ranging
from 20 to 500 francs.
The Association Belge de Tissage.—This combination was organized
in 1903 among the cotton weavers of Ghent and surrounding territory,
 and by 1909 out of 34,000 looms 12,000 were members. Chémage
 was made obligatory when it was demanded by three-fourths
of the members; but those who did not wish to follow the decision
to suspend operations were permitted to run full time by paying not
less than 10 centimes a day per loom during the period set for
chémage. An exception was made in favor of those looms which
were weaving goods for exportation, provided at least a quarter of
them were so engaged.
Combinations have also been formed among the finishers and
printers of cotton and linen goods mixed, among the wool spinners,
and the manufacturers of hosiery and of artificial silk.
COMBINATIONS IN THE ORIENT.
In 1913 the largest buyer of cotton goods from the United States
was China. The trade was in piece goods only, largely unbleached
cloth, consisting’of sheetings and drills. It represented, however,
but 7.9 per cent of the total imports of cotton piece goods into
China, Great Britain furnishing 53.3 per cent, and Japan 20.2 per
cent. In gray sheetings and drills, Japan is the principal competitor
of the United States. The trade of Great Britain is in other kinds of
piece goods, namely, gray shirtings, plain white shirtings, jeans and
Italians, Venetians, crépe, and lastings—lines in which the United
States exports very little to China.
Competition in the cotton goods trade in the Far East is most acute,
particularly mm China and Manchuria, where the traders of Japan,
Germany, Great Britain, and the United States, before the war, were
struggling for the market.- The Orient is a field for the operations
of some of the largest foreign trading organizations in the world.
Jardine, Matheson &amp; Co. (British), Arnhold, Karberg &amp; Co. (German),
Tie D6 Lewes, Liorganisution syndicale des Chefs industrie, Brussels, 1909, pp. 200, 201,
1De Leener, op. cit.. pp. 203. 207. 211. 217. 218