Show 5 ri 0 1 J Jo I W an HEARD H Ha a armind and the tl NATIONAL CAPITAL CAPITA 1 1 Carter CarterField Field t Washington Hearings on the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed United United Kingdom States Statu reciprocal trade agreement are set et setto to begin here March 14 Battle between between be be- y tween business and end the State department department depart depart- ment will grow hotter as 81 the hearings hear hear- ings ing go on It will center around the old old question of free trade or tariff restrictions This Is the argument Is Ts lilt it better betterto to protect farmers farmen manufacturers manufacturer it C and labor against competition of low low- cost products from foreign coun- coun countries countries tries or let the priced low goods good in for the benefit of the public Who is most Important producers or the public Any economist can show that the American public pays pay annually many billions of ot dollars more for forthe the goods good it buys now DOW than it would pay if 11 prices were lowered by foreign for tor- eign goods brought in free of ot duty But Dut the same ame economist if U be he were so minded could show bow that free tree Imports would soon oon drive agriculture agriculture agriculture ture manufacturing and labor to bankruptcy First Fint would come general general gen gen- eral chaos and next would come an American standard of living g as 81 low lowas lowas as a. the world average S These opposing forces are vast and complicated Ever Every tariff student student stu- stu dent has hu a theory But Dut Secretary of State Cordell Hull happens to be for low tariffs tarm and he happens to have a r reciprocal trade agreement act passed b by congress and the wl will of President Roosevelt to back him up So his hll opinion is what counts right now He lIe has haa made 18 16 reciprocal agreements with other countries already and hes he's going to tomake tomake tomake make one with England This is the gist of the Hull lIun policy Nearly all aU war is caused by economic economic eco coo war After the World war the United States State helped increase economic war by raising tariff walls wall around around It itself elf It must now tear them down to promote trade and peace This ThI country and England together transact about one-fourth one of all al the worlds world's business An agreement nt between the two to increase In In- Increase 0 crease that huge volume of ot business busl busi- r e ne ness will have a marked effect on world trade and world peace We cannot remain prosperous in a pov pov- stricken erty-stricken world t How the Plan Work Works Heres Here's how the most favored nation nation na na- na tion plan works work The United States State picks pick out the country countr that supplies the most of any given liven Import In Inthe Inthe Inthe the case eue of woolen goods It Its It's Eng Enl land We cut our import duty on woolens woolen in return for a cut by England England Eng Eng- land on something we sell leU her say ay lumber wheat or automobiles I 1 Then the new lower tariffs apply to all other countries supplying Ie less amounts amount of the same commodities or products It makes make business move fast say the tariff low men But American farmers and manufacturers manufacturers man man- and labor leaders howl with pain While they struggle for tor volume and prices to keep going loin I the government opens open the flood gate gato and foreign goods good rush in to lower both bath The government sa says we are opening up the foreign market In which you can ean sell more farm tarm and factory products with resulting ben ben- b b- b to labor Well We'll have worldwide worldwide world world- t wide prosperity in place of precarious pre pre- S- S carious earlous isolated prosperity And Fla well we'll have bave peace instead of backbreaking backbreaking back back- breaking taxes for armaments Reciprocal trade treaties are engineered engineered en by ily the State department but the work of preparing statistics and holding hearings Is done by the tariff commission and its reciprocity I sty ity committee The commissions commission's IP shabby old building is I. humming bumming p Bright young oun men from London lug I bales ales pt pf records from tram worn room to room e. e r. r Woolen manufacturers arrive from il New England to make sure ure their vt protests protest will be heard when hearings hear bear fi i h ings begin Meanwhile off to England Eng Ens rr land goes the astute Ambassador Joseph P. P Kennedy Kenned to make sure suret t J the foxy British dont don't trade us any wooden nickels Up to Broadcasters r 1 Two obligations obligation are now placed I K squarely on the shoulders of ot radio it J broadcasting which has been anxiously h- h waiting a definite statement of policy by the recently reorganIzed reorganized I federal communications com corn f mission minion The law was wn laid down by Frank II R. newly appointed f s s chairman of ot the commission in his if Ly orl f address before the sixteenth annual y convention of the National Association r- r a tion of Broadcasters Radio must t steer clear dear ot of monopolistic practices tires tices and It must provide good entertainment en en- s d' d free tree of moral offense ottense f Mr Is I. an administration man loaned to the communications i commission b by the federal power commission where his attitude toI toward to to- I ward public utilities was waa well wellI I known Radio men feared trouble when be he came over to the communications com corn I commission Many of I them thenn are therefore agreeably sure sur i I. I to hear ear from him what hat sounded sound ed like stern Item but friendly advice But if 11 any of them are Involved In even the beginnings beginning of monopoly they are tossing toning In la their sleep tonight tonight to to- night sight because the chairman an announced that be he will wW soon oon begin an any I y investigation of chain broadcasting What that will wUl reveal only the guilty guilt parties If U any an can foretell Meanwhile Meanwhile Mean Mean- while the they have plenty of time and fair warning to clean elean house That domain composed of ether ether- space pace and the natural phenomenon of ot wave lengths length is ii a public property and resource as a. Mr sees lees it That property is loaned to private private vate vale industry first to render a service service erv ice to the public and second to earn a reasonable profit The franchise franchise fran tran- chise is i. granted with the understanding under standing that It will be revoked unless unless unless un un- un- un less the company compan serves and behaves be be- haves baves as the government thinks it should Radio on the Spot Railroads and power were mentioned mentioned men men- Honed by Mr as having gotten into trouble with the public by combining for tor their own interest Instead of for tor the best public interest inter inter- est He Ite said in effect that the trusts trust had bad depended on political pull and the use of propaganda to get by Rut But it didn't work In the long run The radio industry is more intimately in In- related to the public than an any of the older utilities and its behavior will be more quickly no no- Mr said that a member of the industry told him Radio could not survive an Insult But while warning of monopoly which would consist of certain types type of chain broadcasting of ot management manage ment contracts and of pressure methods in dealing with local stations sta lions the chairman at the same time Ume condoned and even praised the national hookups hookup that produce theOne the fine One programs It is i. only through the commercial support of huge audiences audiences au au- au that the world worlds best talent can ean be brought into millions of homes Regarding advertising sales talks talk on the air Mr warned broadcasters that the public will revolt against too much talk or bad taste tute Some legitimate products products prod prod- and services he said simply cannot be talked about on the air These matters the Industry must govern The Mae West was only an incident but doubtless it did influence influence in In- fluence the big radio boss in his hi conclusions on radio ethics He lie made it very clear dear that all aU creeds religions races Ideals and ages ale must be respected This is in accord accord ac cord with the democratic rights of ot minorities Radio men say that this W. constitutes constitute a drastic limitation on wh what t may be said and discussed over the air But Dut none of them argue it is Ia unfair In the field of ot music and the other arts of ot sound there is no limit Japanese Boycott While the boycott on Japanese silk still make makes news latest figures from the Department of Commerce show that it has hll had very little effect Actual Imports of ot raw silk Ilik fr from m Japan are only 2 per cent below normal But the organized protest against invasion of at China chiefly evident in women's refusal to buy silk stockings has haa brought about some ome serious consequences The State department of course Is deeply concerned This country buys about SO 56 G per cent of Nippon's total raw silk production Our silk bill bUl therefore Is I. an Important item in Japans Japan's war chest chelt It If th the boycott should hould become fully tully effective Japan Japan Ja pan would be no little provoked That plus a possible clash duh with Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese salmon poachers ot off Alaska plus another Incident like the tho Panay sinking in the Orient might cause real trouble Conversely too another another an an- other incident might put the boycott boy cott under way In earnest earneL But there would be little the llie State department could do about It Any protests from Japan would have to tobe tobe tobe be answered with a shrug For a boycott Is simply a form of ot free tree speech and free press Any action by the government to the contrary would be a departure from the democratic democratic dem demo principle The Mikado would get the same answer that Hitler lIlt Hit ler ter got when he complained about Mayor LaGuardia utterances American silk illk manufacturers are being seriously damaged by the boy cott cotto Fear that another Incident will Intensify feeling so 0 that women will really decide to do without silk has caused store managers to Issue hold orders on stockings and other silk sUk goods Silk mills and raw silk importers are getting stuck with supplies on hand It Is estimated that of American capital Invested in silk sUk and allied Industry has been frozen Jobs in in Jeopardy The Jobs of ot more than pIe engaged in the throwing and weaving of ot silk and in the manufacture manufacture manufacture ture and distribution of ot silk Uk products prod are jeopardized When Ten the boycott boycott boy boy- cott colt first started the public supposed that finished stockings and other silk goods came directly from Japan People did not know that American labor and Industry produced the goods good from Japanese raw nw material This misunderstanding had the Instant Instant instant In In- stant and remarkable effect of unitIng uniting unit unit- Ing silk capital and labor in a common common com com- mon front to tell the country the facts William Green himself president pres ident of ot the American Federation of ot Labor Lawr had a voice in the telling Of Ot course the anti boycott anti boycott drive appeared to many suspicious person persons per per- sons son to be in collusion with the Japanese The textile Industry Is I. centered in New York city and because be be- cause caule Japan happens to have bave a Chamber of Commerce in that city elty some critics critic were inspired to talk treason But labor and employers employer succeeded in making their cause clear and undoubtedly their efforts were mainly responsible for tor modi moth tying the boycott O c Bell IkU Syndicate Service |