| Show Between You Yau and Me Agitation Over the German Steel Purchase Campaign Fodder Hoovers Hoover's Mail By RAYMOND CLAPPER W WASHINGTON WASHINGTON H. ASHINGTON-H. Hysteria leria over two small contracts for or German steel on P PV W V A projects s is a R. dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- thing for tor the administration tion at this particular time be because because because be- be cause it creates an extremely Unfavorable unfavorable unfavorable un un- favorable atmosphere for usherIng ushering usher usher- ing lug in the new Canadian reciprocity reel reci agreement This agreement with the second best customer of the United States la Is one of the most important at attempts attempts attempts at- at tempts that has been made to pull our foreign trade out of the ditch The principle of this agreement is 15 that that- we will vIll let In certain Canadian products in return for tor which Canada will take some of ours and that out of oC the exchange both countries will wm benefit The worth of nazi steel which was bought for the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York h bridge has set act et loose an an foreign anti-foreign agitation which may reach far tar beyond this immediate matter Our own continued continued continued con con- heavy unemployment does not put us in any receptive mood for or foreign goods and special groups directly affected aCCeded b by Importations Importations importations combine forces to ad add to the hostile clamor It would be surprising if the feeling generated over the German steel incident docs does not transfer r itself promptly into 3 a general attack on the administrations administration's administrations administration's ad ad- ministrations ministration's s 's reciprocal r trade policy Popular opposition which was stirred up against an earlier attempt at at- tempt empt to establish Canadian re reciprocity reciprocity reciprocity re- re had much to do with wrecking the Taft administration Unquestionably R It e p pub u b 1 I i cans looking for a real 1936 issue with fire in it will be tempted to play I upon resentment aroused by the Canadian agreement The setting is perfect for or a campaign campaign campaign cam cam- against foreign trade Of course it wouldn't be proclaimed as a campaign against foreign trade It would be an attack on the administration for letting foreign foreign for for- eign goods come into the country in competition with domestic products But there can be no re revival revival revival re- re vival of exports unless there is a revival of imports The administrations administration's administrations administration's adminis adminis- reciprocal trade policy will be a hard one to defend because because because be be- cause SO o few people stop to think that a nation cannot sell seU abroad without buying abroad Politicians clans lans and special groups cry that we are letting the foreigner sell his goods in this country and it becomes a a- patriotic issue to roll ron wild through the presidential campaign with the random destructiveness destructiveness destructiveness de- de of a loose cannon on ona ona ona a pitching deck Trade with Canada has dropped to to a third of what it was a few years ago Because Canada is our second largest customer the thc importance of reviving ng this commerce commerce commerce com com- merce is obvious Experience with with reciprocal reciprocal trade agreements is too brief to afford any conclusive evidence as to whether the Canadian agreement will fulfill the administrations administration's hopes The state d department at attaches attaches attaches at- at some significance to the brief brier experience with Sweden since August p when the Swedish reciprocal trade went Into effect Incomplete figures reported to the state department indicate that since this agreement became ef effective ef- ef American exports to Sweden Sweden Sweden Swe Swe- den have In increased greatly Pork sales doubled Fresh canned and dried fruits are being shipped In quantities many times Umes larger than those of ot a year ago and parts arc are moving in larger quantity Increases were said to have taken place also in exports of American canned soups gasoline gasoline gaso gaso- line Une office equipment and some other lines In return Swedish exports to the the United States have increased b by approximately the same amount as the eastbound trade the Increase being accounted for largely by pulp and newsprint Under the Cuban trade agreement agreement agreement agree agree- ment in effect now for tor almost a year American exports have gone up sharply and imports have similarly similarly simi simi- increased Even In the German steel deal there is a tendency to overlook the fact that the price obtained by bythe bythe bythe the Germans will be left here to tobe tobe tobe be used either cither for buying American American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean cotton or paying ot off obliga obliga- Similarly during all aU of or the O outcry outcry out out- t- t cry over importation of Japanese textiles it was overlooked that Japan was a heavy buyer of AmerIcan American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean raw cotton and that Japan buys more from rom us than we do from om Japan Herbert Hoovers Hoover's mail man is chang chang- In ing A fe few months ago about half haJ of the letters he received were from writers who urged him not not- notto to run for president nt again and subject himself himsel to the punishment punishment punish punish- ment of another campaign Now so some of his friends estimate 95 per cent of the letters urge him to get into the 1936 fight The change became most striking following the recent Oakland Cal Cat address which was a withering attack attack attack at at- tack on administration waste Mr Hoover h has s several more speeches in mind each of which will emphasize a particular issue This series of major addresses each nationally broadcast is expected expected ex ex- by Mr Hoovers Hoover's friends to serve as a Republican campaign textbook whether textbook whether Mr Hoover is the candidate or not notA A Los Angeles real estate man manis manis is 13 advocating a time part-time White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House in th the far tar west where the president would put in several months a year In official resi resi- dence denee Mr Hoover has a house adequate adequate adequate ade ade- quate for the purpose purpose at Palo pao PaloAlto Alto Ca Cal and he doubtless would be willing willing- willingto to make terms The only onh objection from the administrations administration's administrations administration's administrations administration's adminis adminis- point of view might be that undoubtedly Mr Hoover would insist upon being thrown in with the house Copyright 1935 by The Washington Wash Vash- ington Post |
