CONTROL OF COTTON CLOTH DISTRIBUTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006100090008-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 16, 2008
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: March 3, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/06/16: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006100090008-0
CENTRAL IN TELUGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
CONFIDENTIAL
NOFORN.
PLACE ACQUIRED
Control of Cotton Cloth Distribution
This matesW eonalas 1n..!D~aaflan .asc$rg the Na.
tteml Detans the
of uniteR dtatus t! In ;the mien-
talc cc the leOlbo.p Lea, This 1*. 1T ~C::r~wwa toot
and 79 the Etna udm or rey"tioa of Which in
any m.nuei to in tmau aelsid! Derfon Is piO bIted
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT W.
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
3 March 1955
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1. the controlled ?r. cotton goods became 25X1
effective in Tentsin.1 the Industrial and
Commercial Bureau or Tientsin held meetings with the chairmen of the various
industrial and commercial unions and with members of priivate-owrke_d, cotton goods
businesses, general merchantts,, c0o0-hing: 'stores, tailor shops, dyeing busaiunesses
shoes and hat makers, craftsmen, and peddilers. ? At the meetings the controlled 25X1
supply plan for cotton goods, the regulations governing ,prli' atyer-owned busiiness,
the regulations gowermng supply or cotton cloth to merchants for making other
merchandise, and the registration of the present stock of cotton clothes were
announced. According to the new regulations, the-,retail agent or dealer was
to buy his stocks from the state-owned Calico and Cotton Goods Corporation, wi25X1
a folder (sic:) issued by the corporatXion=, and then to sell to the people, at
the authorized price, only as much cottton.goods as each individual was allowed
on his cotton-goods-purchase coupon. Manufacturers such as makers of rubber
cloth, shoes, and hats dyers; and printers needed cotton cloth to make other
merchandai-se. They were to get their supplies in amounts a43--lotted according to
the number of families involved, allottments that had been approved by the
Industrial and Commercial Bureau. The mer~chanta were or,,dered to inventory their
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stock and to report the amount of stock, on hand to the bureau.
The stock thus re stered would be dealt w.inth as controlaled merctiandiae, to be
sold to people. w.i.th coupons only. No sprec~ tt1on of any kind 25X1
in such goods was to be permitted., and any sale or purchase of cottton-cloth-
purchase coupons would be considered a vio~laStiTon of the law.
2 the cotton-cloth-purchase coupons were issued to every family of
the city according to the family residence registration books. Each person was
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authorized to buy four chang and two ch'ih of cotton cloth a year; and each worker,
student, or Chinese Communist cadre, six chang and two ch'ih a year. There were
four kinds of coupons: five-ts'un, one-ch'ih, five-ch'ih, and one.chang coupons.2
3. All the wholesale merchants of cotton cloth had been ordered to close their shops.
All the retail merchants throughout the city had become the retail agents of the
state-owned corporation. The profit they were able to make from sales was insufficient
to meet their daily expenditures and the cost of taxes, yet the authorities would not
allow them to close their shops.
4. After the announcement of the control of cotton-cloth sales, the residents of
Tientsin rushed to buy printed sheets and low priced woolen and silk articles.
5? the Chinese Communists put into force a regulation governing the
supply of cotton cloth and authorized the Chinese Communist Cotton Cloth Company
to be the sole distributor. At the same time, private merchants in the various
countries, townships and the T'ai Hu (N 31---, E.120---) area were motified
of the regulation. the Cotton Cloth Company had entrusted the supply
of cloth in the county districts to the local cooperatives.
6. Under the regulation, consumption for farming villages was limited to 22 Chinese feet
a person a year. The cloth was to be purchased with coupons denominated at five
Chinese inches, one foot, five feet, and ten feet and carrying a photograph of the
consumer (F-4).3
1. The Chinese Communists announced over the radio home service
that the Government Administrative Council had approved an order imple-
men ng the planned procurement and purchasing of cotton
The order stated that all cotton procurement and purchasing work of the state
would be handled solely by the state-operated'China Cotton Yarn and Cloth
Company, which was to entrust its purchasing work to the supply and marketing
cooperatives; that all private cotton dealers would not be allowed to deal in
the purchasing and the shipping.of raw or processed cotton; but that private
retailers would continue their businesses by getting their supplies from the
China Cotton Yarn and Cloth Company.
2. A-ts'un is a Chinese inch, the equivalent of 1.26 English inches; the ch'ih is
ten ts'un; and the chang is ten ch'ih..
3. This is the first report received by this office that photographs of consumers
are required on purchasing coupons. Food coupons themselves have not contained
photographs.
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Approved For Release 2008/06/16: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006100090008-0