Show p m e Reciprocal Trade Is Vital To Well Being Well of the World c J If By BAUI t News Nero Analyst and ancl r t tV i of ot extension V WASHINGTON Despite Despite the spirited battle over nothing which even its the reciprocal trade agreement authority b best st friends could hope to do about it would b be definitive for everyone everyone every every- final action must be postponed until one knew from the start that next year foreign of our Reciprocal trade agreements have been a n definite part value in the past they are arc trade policy polity for 14 years If they were of any than four lour little more election of even more value now But with an a months of off and congress trying to break a log jam of legislation lengthy debate on thu th subject was impossible Putting PuUing it backwards the reciprocal reciprocal reciprocal trade agreement policy is this If a country is prevented by bya a high tariff wall from selling to us it cant can't get the f r ft 1 i 1 t dollars to b buy u y i. from us Or Or if ii i the country has hasI I borrowed money borrowed I 1 I p Y from us us it cant can't get the dollars to pay us back That's what happened hap- hap Io p ened afterWorld after afterWorld World W War a r I f and the t h e breakdown breakdown break break- t down in foreign trade was one of the great factors in bringing on depression But that isn't the only thing that tariff walls do They tend to force isolationism extreme nationalism on a country and behind the tariff walls as Secretary ex-Secretary of State Cordell Cordell Cordell Cor- Cor dell Hull used to say so often grow the roots of war Secretary of State Marshall 1 stated that the Gearhart bill 1 41 h 1 hI t i v U destroy u t un e s once o ui v. the reciprocal trade theory a theory which Is not only the cornerstone cornerstone cornerstone cor cor- of our general foreign trade policy but the principle which we have insisted must be followed by nations participating In the European recovery pro pro- gram The secretary said that only the shadow of the original act would be preserved in the substitute bill proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed by Representative Gearhart while its substance would be de de- de- de And he added I III think our national interests would be better better better bet bet- ter preserved to permit the trade agreements act to expire than to permit HR to be enacted H He pointed out that any serious weakening of the trade agreements act at this critical period in world affairs would almost certainly be regarded by other countries not only as a surrender of our leadership leadership leadership leader leader- ship in the international economic field but as a repudiation of much that has been accomplished under our leadership in that field Presumably he meant tills his When we agreed to the European recovery plan ECA one of oC the things we emphasized demanded in fact was that the countries receiving receiving receiving re re- re- re our aid would have to break down tariff barriers against each cach other and the rest of the world We Vc knew there couldn't be economic recovery if there was not a free flow now of world trade Even before the ECA was ever thought of since of-since since 1934 as a matter of fact fact fact-by by vigorously pursuing the reciprocal idea by concluding reciprocal reciprocal reciprocal re re- re- re trade treaties with so many countries we have them will all but six or seven of the Marshall plan participants we have encouraged the world to reduce tariff tar tariff tar tar- iff ill walls Thus it would hardly seem consistent suddenly to reverse ourselves and go back to the old days of high tariff economic isola isola- The measure as the house presented presented presented pre pre- it had another drawback in inthe inthe inthe the eyes of Secretary Marshall and supporters of his point of view The bill would force the President either to accept the recommendations of the federal tariff commission on adjustments adjustments adjustments ad ad- above or below a certain bracket or submit them to a congressional congressional congressional con con- coni i gressional veto That sounds reasonable reasonable reasonable rea rea- in theory but what it does is to smash absolutely the whole basis for reciprocal trade tion A nasty little ittle joker in the measure measure measure meas meas- ure stating that tariff commission recommendations must be made on the principle of protecting the special special special cial Interests concerned revealed the intent of its framers That provision provision provision pro pro- vision would destroy the purpose of negotiation by removing trade agreements from the field of the general good and narrowing them down to a question of whether the particular industry is to be protected protected protected pro pro- from competition Thus not only would international relations and conditions have to be ignored entirely but broad national Interests Interests interests Inter Inter- ests as well wen Secre Secretary ry Marshall used strong words in criticizing this clause when he said The bill ilI in effect makes males pure protection the sole criterion for tariff action Very few groups outside of the big industries which want to keep down foreign competition oppose the reciprocal trade program The great majority of the chambers of commerce are for it Earl national president of the chamber of commerce has said that any 1 restrictions on or crippling of the trade agreements program would have very undesirable Discontinuance or impairment impairment impairment impair impair- ment would destroy consistency in United States policy and would undermine world confidence Former Republican presidential candidate Alfred E. E Landon came out in favor of the year three-year extension extension extension ex ex- ex- ex tension of the trade agreements act as urged by the administration tion He said that failure to extend the act would be contrary to the Republican policy plank of 1944 Frequent public opinion polls have shown that the majority of the people favor trade treaties In fact persons who know Imo what trade treaties are vote better than eight to one to retain them Im I'm no economic expert but all allI I have ever read or heard about the old high protective tariff debates debates debates de de- bates the experience under the Smoot-Hawley Smoot bill the World post War I debt repudiation and depression depression depression depres depres- sion would seem to indicate that the hi high eh tariff idea idel should hould and n would uld 0 be dead as a dodo If not it means we spin the wheel backward to the tho grand old days of ot high tariffs which killed foreign trade made it Impossible for foreign foreign foreign for for- eign countries to sell us goods and spend their money here or to pay payback payback payback back the money they owed us us- us simply to protect certain private interests This Convention Is Different As the Republicans swing into action action action ac ac- ac- ac tion with the greatest hope they have had for electing a president since the fifth birthday of this years year's first voters there are a number number num number num- num ber of striking contrasts j J be noted between this convention in Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia and former GOP conclaves One big contrast is in the size of the audience which actually will behold the speakers as they step forward onto the rostrum In 1940 some people not actually inthe in inthe inthe the hall witnessed the convention Two television cameras mirrored mirrored mir mir- the scenes to a fairly select audience some of it persons fortunate enough to share the hospitality of the Railroad club in the same building as the hall There one could escape the sound and fury the glare of the lights the heat and aridity and could snack and sip in a comfortable comfortable comfortable comfor comfor- table chair This year in Philadelphia the estimated television audience willbe will willbe willbe be counted in the millions for networks networks networks net net- works will carry the scene to viewers viewers viewers view view- ers from Massachusetts to Cali Cali- fornia Instead of two lonely cameras cameras cameras cam cam- eras there will be the pooled equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment and programming of the various various various va va- rious nets But there is a greater contrast in the Republican political situation situation situation situa situa- tion than in the delegates' delegates physical cal surroundings between today and 1940 19 No Noone one who witnessed the Willkie stampede can forget It was just about as unorthodox a procedure as history records for the candidate was chosen not in the hall nor in ina a smoke-filled smoke room room either but out in the sticks If this is to be a wireless convention the 1940 affair affair af af- fair was a convention by wire A group of ot pressure high-pressure amateurs amateurs ama ama- who were no amateurs when it came to organized action was putting pressure on the big men in every community and the big men were getting to bosses or to the delegates direct by telegram and telephone The Willkie Wilkie amateurs amateurs ama ama- stole the show from the professionals professionals pro pro- and the professionals swore it never would happen again It isn isn't t happening this year Another highly interesting g contrast con con- bets between veer conventions this time between 1948 and 1944 is 1944 is the hectic atmosphere of today as op opposed op op- posed to the comparative calm then There was a has Dewey the has in t he bag feeling back in Chicago four years ago which took the zip out of the Chicago air Also the war I overshadowed over over- Shadowed the conclave enclave c then The i National Republican the party newspaper started off its lead article article ar ar- on June 26 1944 With the Invasion news commanding 6 th the e at atthe at- at of the entire convention Another contrast between 44 and 48 is in the attitude toy toward yard foreign policy Then it was the most delicate question which faced the platform committee Today To- To day Senator r h fn g has foreign for tor eign clan policy wrapped up in a n neat cat package signed with his name and sealed with his Ws signet ring That issue e Is no wort r at alt all |