Show study new plan for interstate trade barriers washington interstate trade trad e barriers are being lowered man many y state legislatures this year prevented the raising of new economic barriers to trade between the states and some legislatures pulled down old barriers action was principally in the south where kentucky is now the only state having a maximum trucking load limit of only pounds gross weight elsewhere the load limit has been raised to pounds or more texas had a law requiring that the net loads on trucks could not exceed pounds if the truck was to go past a railroad station the load could be pounds it if the truck was going only to the nearest railroad this law has been repealed and the load limit raised to pounds gross weight alabama raised the load limit emit from to pounds tennessee had a 10 cent tax on margarine now the tax applies only to margarine made of foreign oils mississippi has repealed its tax on retailers of margarine in that state in new england the states have initiated uniform rules on the movement of cattle with respect to bangs disease the story everywhere reveals a trend against trade barriers since the U S department of agriculture began its campaign against these barriers two years ago A special report issued by the bureau of agricultural economics in 1939 barriers to internal trade in farm products called attention to the rapid growth of discriminatory laws and regulations which have the effect of interstate tariffs and embargoes bar goes the report showed that such laws and regulations are interfering seriously with the free movement and sale of farm products raising the cost of marketing increasing prices of food and clothing to the consumer and lowering the consumption of these products serious trade barriers studies by a number of federal and state agencies have confirmed the bureaus findings and have brought to light the existence of many serious trade barriers which were not covered in the bureaus report at the 1939 sessions of the state legislatures many proposed additions to state barriers were blocked this year in 1941 when more than 40 state legislatures met additional barriers were blocked or torn down the removal of interstate trade barriers has become an important national issue according to F V waugh of the bureau of agricultural economics farmers dealers and consumers throughout the country want to see our marketing laws and regulations overhauled in such a way as to permit free trade without sacrificing any ot of the legitimate purposes of regulations these mate purposes include the krotec public health the prevention ot of the spread ot of insect pests and diseases and the protection of highways from excessive damage threaten defense program mr waugh says there are some practical possibilities for eliminating the worst of the trade barriers in agriculture state commissioners of agriculture with whom some of these possibilities were discussed last december were very interested many of the state commissioners of agriculture believe that if feder federal al and state officials could agree on a program there would be a real possibility lity of getting the necessary federal and state legislation this year also that inasmuch as trade barriers represent an obvious threat to our defense program now is an opportune time to push legislation tor for freer interstate trade until about 25 years ago grades for farm products presented many serious trade barrier problems for example wheat which had been inspected and certified as to grade in t the he producing state might not be acceptable in markets outside the state potatoes rated as no 1 grade in one market might be called no 2 in another market and sold there at a discount during the past 25 years this situation has been improved greatly through a program developed and carried out jointly by the federal and state departments e of agriculture this program has accomplished two things 1 it has brought about gradually more and more uniformity in the standards anti and grades used throughout the country 2 it has provided an inspection service whose certificates of quality are accepted as passports in interstate commerce A certificate showing that a carload of potatoes has been inspected and is up to the U S no 1 standard is now accepted in any part of the country as an indication of the actual quality |