Show COMMENTS TS 1 f. f B By y Observers Of The News New EUROPEAN CRISIS REVEALS DANGERS OF NEUTRALITY LAW LIMP BY DA DAVID DA I LAWRENCE LAVRENCE W WASHINGTON March tarch If 16 16 If evidence were needed of the dangers dan dan- gers of a rigid and inflexible policy pol pol- icy cy of neutrality the he events of this past ast week have supplied tho the grim reminder that neutrality resolutions ions can come and go but European Euro- Euro jean war threats apparently go on forever brever America today wants no part in Europe's quarrels but when it comes omes to stopping trade or restricting re re- it as often proposed to normal normal exports the problem be- be domes omes con concrete will concrete will rete-will will the United States tates convince itself in 1936 as it did id in 1914 that trade must go gon goon goon on n Germanys Germany's threat to European peace makes specific the question of f what kind of neutrality America can an practice The resolution Just passed by Congress makes It mandatory to forbId orbid loans and credits and gives the he president the right to embargo m munitions Supposing the United States tates did both the he United States has an abundance of certain raw ras' materials There are certain products prod prod- which must be obtained d here That would Great Britain and France do if the embargoes were applied Discussing the matter with for for- o- o familiar with what happened hap hap- ened In the last war var one finds t he the e opinion freely e expressed presse that J t munitions factories would be built In n Canada Canad th that t workmen w v especial especial- ly Iy y skilled mecha m mechanics ics and chemical experts would be brought from American plants and that a whole munitions industry would b be set setup setup up across our northern border As for the export of raw mate mate- nab rIals It Is hardly conceivable that the the stoppage stoppage of trade with Canada would be a simple matter to accomplish ac ac- because after all the resolution refers to munitions and andt it t would be he a difficult matter to add raw products without paralyzing lug ing ng the entire commerce between Canada and the United States As for or Mexico with certain pro predicts products prod pred the the- prospects are that the making of war materials would be established there ther too Since the British navy would control the theseas theseas seas the transport of finished munitions would mean a boon for for foreign ign ships if the American merchant mer merchant merchant mer- mer chant marine is debarred from carrying carrying car car- such cargoes under a strict t interpretation of neutral neutrality ty Rigid neutrality may seem when It Itis Is a s simple mple Ital Ital- J ian Ethiopian affair though here too the Washington aut authorities seemed to h have ve adopted a a more realistic view since last December but ut neutrality of the inflexible kind kindIs kinds Is s revealed as even more Impracticable Impracticable from irom rom a a trade standpoint when the belligerents loom up on the he horizon to to be nations like Britain and arid France Fronce in possible conflict once more with Germany C Copyright 1936 |