Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on Men's and Boys' Wool Coats Other Than Suit Type

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on

Men's and Boys' Wool Coats Other Than Suit Type

May 17, 1995.

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Notice.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen (India) and Anne Novak

(Brazil), International Trade Specialists, Office of Textiles and

Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information

on categories for which consultations have been requested, call (202)

482-3740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 27274]] Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3,

1972, as amended; section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as

amended (7 U.S.C. 1854).

Under the terms of Article 6 of the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the

Government of the United States requested consultations, on April 18,

1995 and April 26, 1995, respectively, with the Governments of India

and the Federative Republic of Brazil with respect to men's and boys'

wool coats other than suit type in Category 434, produced or

manufactured in India and Brazil.

The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no

solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of India

and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Committee

for the Implementation of Textile Agreements may later establish a

limit for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of

wool textile products in Category 434, produced or manufactured in

India and Brazil and exported during the twelve-month period April 18,

1995 through April 17, 1996, at a level of not less than 45,750 dozen,

in the case of India, and exported during the twelve-month period April

26, 1995 through April 25, 1996, at a level of not less than 9,519

dozen, in the case of Brazil. On April 18, 1995, CITA dropped its

request for consultations with India on Category 434 that was made on

December 30, 1994 (see 60 FR 5653, published on January 30, 1995) and

resubmitted the request under Article 6 of the ATC.

A summary statement of serious damage concerning Category 434

follows this notice.

Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding

the treatment of Category 434, or to comment on domestic production or

availability of products included in Category 434, is invited to submit

10 copies of such comments or information to Rita D. Hayes, Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, U.S. Department

of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; ATTN: Helen L. LeGrande. The

comments received will be considered in the context of the

consultations with the Government of India and the Government of the

Federative Republic of Brazil.

Because the exact timing of the consultations is not yet certain,

comments should be submitted promptly. Comments or information

submitted in response to this notice will be available for public

inspection in the Office of Textiles and Apparel, room H3100, U.S.

Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,

DC.

Further comments may be invited regarding particular comments or

information received from the public which the Committee for the

Implementation of Textile Agreements considers appropriate for further

consideration.

The solicitation of comments regarding any aspect of the agreement

or the implementation thereof is not a waiver in any respect of the

exemption contained in 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1) relating to matters which

constitute ``a foreign affairs function of the United States.''

The United States remains committed to finding a solution

concerning Category 434. Should such a solution be reached in

consultations with the Governments of India and the Federative Republic

of Brazil, further notice will be published in the Federal Register.

A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS

numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories

with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal

Register notice 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994).

Rita D. Hayes,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Statement of Serious Damage

Men's and Boys' Wool Coats Other Than Suit Type--Category 434

April 1995

The sharp and substantial increase in imports of men's and boys'

wool coats other than suit type, Category 434, is causing serious

damage to the U.S. industry producing men's and boys' wool coats other

than suit type.

U.S. imports of men's and boys' wool coats other than suit type,

Category 434, surged to 189,180 dozen in the year ending January 1995,

40 percent above the same period a year earlier.

Serious damage to the domestic industry resulting from the sharp

and substantial increase in imports of men's and boys' wool coats other

than suit type is attributed to India and Brazil. The combination of

high import levels, surging imports, and low priced goods from these

countries have resulted in loss of domestic output, market share,

investment, employment, man-hours worked, and total annual wages.

Total imports from the two countries listed above increased from

31,371 dozen in the year ending January 1994 to 55,269 dozen in the

twelve months ending in January 1995, a sharp and substantial increase

of 76 percent. Together their year ending January 1994 imports were 23

percent of total Category 434 imports. Their share of total category

imports increased to 29 percent in the year ending January 1995. Their

year ending January 1995 imports were 36 percent of total U.S.

production of men's and boys' non-suit type wool coats in the year

ending September 1994.

[FR Doc. 95-12600 Filed 5-22-95; 8:45 am]

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