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Show that the other has citrus canker! The whole business is very costly. Oklahoma Okla-homa estimates It costs $130,000 a year to main-tain main-tain the state' 58 ports of entry. Wisconsin estimates direct retaliation from southern states because of Wisconsin's prohibitory taxation taxa-tion of margarine cost her 3,500,000. The cost of enforcing the various trade barrier laws, plus the losses through retaliation, retalia-tion, pretty well wipe out any financial benefits bene-fits to the state as a whole from the various acts designed to protect home Industry. In . addition the trade barriers tend to Increase the cost of living, the consumer in each state paying pay-ing the bill. It Is true that a few favored and protected producers gain from the trade barriers, that state governments profit by the revenues from the various special licenses and fees, and that state political machines gain by the additional Jobs made possible by the need for border stations, sta-tions, investigators and collectors. But the state as a whole loses In almost every case, and the nation loses because of the stifling of the free flow of trade. The difficulty In solving the problem Is not to get general agreement that such trade barriers bar-riers are wrong and costly. The trouble comes when the proposal is made to repeal or modify specific restrictions in any one state. . That's why the Interstate conference t Denver is so Important. If all states can agree on a sound program for uniform action In removing re-moving or modifying trade barriers, It may be possible to end this "War Between the States" In short order. j r Tho 'War Between the States !TJ EPRESENTATIVES of some 10 western J states held an Important conference at Den-irer Den-irer Thursday and Friday of this week. Their lm ws to draft a program of uniform legta-I legta-I Nation to eliminate and adjust trade barrier j letween the date. I Z That conference is vital to the economic well- -feeing of every state in the west. - Despite the fact that the federal constitution xpressly forbids sll internal tariffs between -the states so that there will be a free and unrestricted un-restricted flow of trade within the union, ia the ast few year the states through various subterfuges sub-terfuges have in effect raised tariff walls : ' around their borders. Z Today, it is said that every state in the union ; as some sort of a trsde barrier in effect. ' Jrfany of them have a half dozen or more. 3Jtah, according to a summary published re--cently in th Business Week magzlne, has jtight Only Colorado was listed as having 3nore In the west. - On the surface most of the trade barriers ire erected with what appear the Justifiable Jnotives of protecting the state's local producers, -guarding the state's fruits, vegetables and dairy -products against disease, preventing evasion of 3h state's taxes. Th trouble I that In almost .-every case the restriction work to the disadvantage dis-advantage of neighboring states snd as a result they retaliate and the war I on. The result is sometimes ridiculous. For In-stance In-stance Texas bans importation of Florida grapefruit on th ground that the Florida fruit -hai citrus canker. But Vo and behold! after Apri! 1 when Texas trees are not producing, the 'quarantine is lifted. Furthermore, all three 'rival citrus-producing states, Florida, Texas vAnd California, have similar quarantines on out-of-state fruit all based on the same grounds, ar . |