Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Nightwear and Pajamas

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on

Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Nightwear and Pajamas

April 17, 1995.

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

ACTION: Notice.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Tallarico (Jamaica) and

Jennifer Aldrich (Honduras), 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).

On March 27, 1995, 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 with the Governments of Honduras and Jamaica with respect

to cotton and man-made fiber nightwear and pajamas in Categories 351/

651, produced or manufactured in Honduras and Jamaica.

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

solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of

Honduras and the Government of Jamaica, the Committee for the

Implementation of Textile Agreements may later establish a limit for

the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton and

man-made fiber textile products in Categories 351/651, produced or

manufactured in Honduras and Jamaica and exported during the twelve-

month period which began on March 27, 1995 and extends through March

26, 1996, at a level of not less than 157,990 dozen, in the case of

Honduras, and a level of not less than 453,082 dozen, in the case of

Jamaica.

A statement of serious damage concerning Categories 351/651 follows

this notice.

Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding

the treatment of Categories 351/651, or to comment on domestic

production or availability of products included in Categories 351/651,

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 Honduras and the

Government of Jamaica.

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 Categories 351/651. Should such a solution be reached in

consultations with the Governments of Honduras and Jamaica, 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

Cotton and Manmade Fiber Pajamas and Other Nightwear--Category 351/651

The sharp and substantial increase in imports of cotton and manmade

fiber pajamas and other nightwear, Category 351/651, is causing serious

damage to the U.S. industry producing cotton and manmade fiber pajamas

and other nightwear.

Category 351/651 imports surged from 9,347,000 dozen in 1992 to

10,832,000 dozen in 1993, a 16 percent increase. Cotton and manmade

fiber pajamas and other nightwear imports, Category 351/651, continued

to increase in 1994, reaching 11,406,000 dozen, 5 percent above the

1993 level and 22 percent above the 1992 level.

Serious damage to the domestic industry resulting from the sharp

and substantial increase in imports of cotton and manmade fiber pajamas

and other nightwear is attributed to imports from Jamaica and

Honduras\1\. In both cases surging imports and low priced goods have

resulted in loss of domestic output, market share, investment,

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

\1\El Salvador called under domestic legal authority. El

Salvador is not a WTO member.

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Total imports from these two countries increased from 193,948 dozen

in 1992 to 611,072 dozen in 1994, a sharp and substantial increase of

215 percent. Their imports nearly doubled in 1994 over their 1993

level. Together their 1992 imports were 2.0 percent of total Category

351/651 imports. Their share of total Category imports increased to 5.4

percent in 1994. Their 1994 imports were 5.9 percent of total U.S.

production of cotton and manmade fiber pajamas and other nightwear in

the year ending September 1994.

[FR Doc. 95-9907 Filed 4-20-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F