Show THE LOWERING OF NATIONAL TARIFFS for the reaper by frank P litschert perhaps the most important bindi finding ng of the recent world economic conference which has just made its report to the council of the league of nations tio ns is the one which embodies the suggestion concerning the lowering of nat national ional tariffs the question of tariffs was one of the most important under discussion and what the conference found has apparently brought comfort to a number of our international free traders in the united states concerning commerce dr declared that the conference recognized in principle the necessity of 0 f liberating international trade from froin all artificial barriers and obstacles especially those which arise from high customs duties the time has come to put an end to moves in the opposite direction the report suggested greater stability in tariff rates with a gradual reduction of tariffs to be obtained by the action of the various states or by treaties among them it was this recommendation which has met with such hearty approval from our own free traders it is not likely that the utopia of free trade will be realized soon even in in europe in germany the land of dr who was prominent in the conference there has been a consistent demand of late for even higher tariffs especially from the agricultural interests and the other european nations are apt to hold on to their tariffs so long lon as they feel that they can obtain any national advantage thereby there can be little doubt that th the customs barriers which a arose r 0 s e an after e r the world war have hampered trade in in europe A number of new and in in some cases tiny states originated in the peace treaty and each of these quickly built up tariff barriers to increase revenues it may be that a way eventually will bo be found to eliminate some of these barriers without injuring the development of the individual nations but because reciprocity might be effected beti between veen austria and czechoslovakia to the benefit of both nations would not mean that the same thing can be done between either of these nations and the united states for the central european countries have one standard of living arid and the united states has another in america the workers are not only well fed and well housed but prosperous in in many ways some of them are becoming C 0 min 9 c capitalists in a small way jn in central europe conditions are far different there the workmen io do not ride to work in their own automobiles and they are satisfied when they earn cam enough to buy food and clothing and to pay the rent the difference in the wage scale and in living conditions in europe and america is too well known to need comment and because of this difference reducing the united states tariff is a far different thing it cannot be done without serious injury to the nation until european workers are paid as well as the workers in america to go on a low tariff basis before such time would surely mean the reduction of the american wage scale and the american scale of levinz to the european level and while this adjustment was being made there would be idleness starvation and perhaps serious trouble the Anie american lican capitalist and the american wage earner realize this that is why any european decision as to elimination of the tariff barriers will find but little response in the united states |