Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on Woven Wool Shirts and Blouses

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on

Woven Wool Shirts and Blouses

April 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

(Hong Kong), 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:

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 27, 1995, respectively, with the Governments of India

and the Hong Kong with respect to woven wool shirts and blouses in

Category 440, produced or manufactured in India and Hong Kong.

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 Hong Kong, 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 440, produced or manufactured in India and Hong Kong and

exported during the twelve-month period April 18, 1995 through April

17, 1996, at a level of not less than 76,698 dozen, in the case of

India, and exported during the twelve-month period April 27, 1995

through April 26, 1996, at a level of not less than

[[Page 27275]] 5,428 dozen, in the case of Hong Kong. On April 18,

1995, CITA dropped its request for consultations with India on Category

440 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 440

follows this notice.

Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding

the treatment of Category 440, or to comment on domestic production or

availability of products included in Category 440, 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 Hong

Kong.

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 440. Should such a solution be reached in

consultations with the Governments of India and Hong Kong, 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.

Summary Statement of Serious Damage

Woven Wool Shirts and Blouses--Category 440

April 1995

The sharp and substantial increase in imports of woven wool shirts

and blouses, Category 440, is causing serious damage to the U.S.

industry producing woven wool shirts and blouses.

Category 440 imports surged to 141,502 dozen in the year ending

January 1995, nearly double the year ending January 1994 level.

Serious damage to the domestic industry resulting from the sharp

and substantial increase in imports of woven wool shirts and blouses is

attributed to India and Hong Kong. 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 these two countries increased from 17,687 dozen

in the year ending January 1994 to 82,126 dozen in the twelve months

ending in January 1995, a sharp and substantial increase of 364

percent. Together their year ending January 1994 imports were 24

percent of total Category 440 imports. Their share of total category

imports increased to 58 percent in the year ending January 1995. Their

year ending January 1995 imports were 107 percent of total U.S.

production of woven wool shirts and blouses in the year ending

September 1994.

[FR Doc. 95-12601 Filed 5-22-95; 8:45 am]

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