[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 121 (Friday, June 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32657-32658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15386]



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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on 
Women's and Girls' Wool Suits

June 19, 1995.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Notice.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Novak (Colombia) and Janet 
Heinzen (the Philippines), 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 with the 
Governments of Colombia and the Philippines with respect to women's and 
girls' wool suits in Category 444.
    The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no 
solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Governments of 
Colombia and the Philippines, 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 444, produced or manufactured in Colombia and the Philippines 
and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on May 31, 1995 
and extending through May 30, 1996, at levels of not less than 132,420 
numbers (Colombia) and 74,874 numbers (the Philippines).
    A statement of serious damage concerning Category 444 follows this 
notice.
    Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding 
the treatment of Category 444, or to comment on domestic production or 
availability of products included in Category 444, 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 Governments of Colombia and the Philippines.
    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 444. Should such a solution be reached in 
consultations with the Governments of Colombia and the Philippines 
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).
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Statement of Serious Damage
Women's and Girls' Wool Suits--Category 444
May 1995
    The sharp and substantial increase in imports of women's and girls' 
wool suits, Category 444, is causing serious damage to the U.S. 
industry producing women's and girls' wool suits.
    Category 444 imports increased to 1,125,392 units in the year 
ending February 1995, 7 percent above the year ending February 1994 
level, and 19 percent above the level imported in calendar year 1992.
    Serious damage to the domestic industry resulting from the sharp 
and substantial increase in imports of women's and girls' wool suits is 
attributed to Colombia and Philippines. The combination of high import 
levels, surging imports, and low priced goods from these countries have 
resulted in loss of domestic output, market share, employment, man-
hours worked, and total annual wages.
    Total imports from these two countries increased from 186,271 units 
in the year ending February 1994 to 207,294 units in the twelve months 
ending in February 1995, a sharp and substantial increase of 11 
percent. Together their year ending February 1995 imports were 18.5 
percent of total Category 444 imports into the U.S during the year 
ending February 1995, [[Page 32658]] and were 3.6 percent of total U.S. 
production of women's and girls' wool suits in 1994.
[FR Doc.95-15386 Filed 6-22-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F