Show PLANS PLANSON ork ON TRADE SCORED Government Policy Regarding Regard Regard- Regard Regard-j ing Importations Criticised Criticised by Press By AssocIated Press S. S LONDON March Free trade newspapers are sharply criticising the governments government's policy regardIng Importations importations Im- Im as disclosed by Sir Auck- Auck land hand Geddes minister for national service and reconstruction in AUCk 1 the house of commons Monday lie He said that all Importations of manufactured I and commodities permitted to enter Great Britain will willbe willbe be controlled by a system of specIal licenses until September 1 when tho question will be reviewed The newspapers denounce this proposal as asan asan an attempt to Introduce protection without any mandate from the voters and insist that a great majority of the voters are opposed to a protective system They say that Great Britain gained her commercial and financial supremacy through free trade and can hold it only by freo trade From the viewpoint of importers the license system handicaps them with all the disadvantages of a protective protective pro pro- tariff without the stabilizing virtue of certainty They say that they do o not know whether to plan to todo todo do any business because they cannot count on being licensed to Import any given quantity of products BARRIERS ERECTED England is swarming with AmerIcan Amerlean Amer- Amer lean Ican business men who came over fully expecting to reestablish their old connections as soon as the vital factor of tonnage permitted They have the tonnage now but find that official barriers have been erected I against their using It I Some think they have a grievance They kept up their British establishments establish establish- I meats ments at a loss during the war on the I expectation o of doing business immediately Imme- Imme after the close of the struggle le The process o of obtaining Import I licenses is that each prospective Importer importer im- im porter must present his case to the i board of trade and to the controller of imports Each case is dealt with on Its merits I as the controller judges It from the Importers Importers' importers importers' Im- Im porters porters' standpoint and the board of trades trades trade's first consideration is whether the goods In question can be obtained from English firms If they can the license Is refused Conspicuous among the American products which find themselves against what virtually amounts to a stone wan wall are motors boots and typewriters The sell self governing dominions of Great Britain are exempt from the difficulties dif dif- the governments government's policy Imposed imposed Im- Im posed on foreign merchants SUBJECT IMPORTANT The Associated Press attempts merely mere mere- ly by to describe the situation b because cause It ItIs Iti i Is a subject of greatest Interest to business men everywhere and a source of controversy between schools of British economists It is looked upon as the beginning of an important chapter In the after the war economic adjustment The arguments of the free traders have been roughly summarized by the Morning Post which Is the strongest protectionist paper In Great BrItain It also points out the possible weakness of the temporary licensIng measure me sa saying ing We Ve believe the licensing system Is a vicious system It leads to favoritism and corruption and leaves I too much discretion in the hands of officials At the begInning of the war if the government had been honest It would have accepted the logic of the situation and imposed a tariff but sooner or later a tariff must come S S S |