Show national topics interpreted by william bruckart washington the roosevelt ad ministration suddenly has haa taker taken on renewed inter seek trade tra de est cst in develop went ident of tases bases for outlets trade between the united states and other nations and thus for the first time it seems to appear that a very definite trend has been set up to take care of 0 our oui surplus farm crops and our surplus manufactured products how tar far it will extend Is a question that i none can answer at this time but the situation and the circumstance certainly constitute a factor that should be examined in a larger sense than piecemeal piece meal discussion because of the far reaching effect that conceivably will flow from the course counsel u upon pon which the government seems to be traveling international trade has haa been a subject about which too many high sounding phrases have been grouped individuals in the interior for example were too prone to pass it by as having no effect on them whatever their calling in life may have been such is distinctly not the case it has a direct hearing bearing on the success of a farmer as it has a direct effect on the success of a manufacturer in each instance the benefits or the damages flow on through the various lines of commerce and industry and into tile the lives of all that Is why in my opinion the trend that now appears to be developing is a matter of concern to the humblest laborer and of great consequence to the agricultural areas of our country in a speech at the recent pan american conference at montevideo video cordell hull secretary of state observed that international trade Is hopelessly clogged with prohibitions embargoes quotas and other arbitrary restrictions thereupon he proposed concerted action to do away with those barriers to trade among nations secretary hull offered several propositions to the statesmen assembled at montevideo and initiated numerous discussions privately along the lines of elimination of trade barriers but the secretary talked about multilateral treaties agreements between many nations and appears to be carrying on that policy here in washington however we are repeatedly told that multilateral treaties are impossible of consummation president roosevelt thinks that there are few possibilities in that direction and he Is talking about treaties bet between cen pairs of countries for example a commercial agreement between the united states and england or france or the argentine or same some other nation with which the united states engages in heavy international ter trade it Is yet too early to tell which way we are headed likewise none can fa lovesee asee sv bother the bilateral agreements or the multilateral pacts will work to our best advantage nothing can be more certain however than that there will be a lot of discussion in congress as it gets under way and I 1 believe it Is equally certain that there will be a lot of debate by members of the house and senate who will be wholly uninformed as to the meaning of their words but let us examine the two types of treaties the multilateral agreement in e n t obviously two types contemplates conof ces sessions cessions on OD tile treaties part of every nation that becomes a signatory to it but in reaching that accord the nations figure out what they can gain before they give up anything such a treaty runs smack into the longtime policy of the united states our nation has always attempted to protect its wage earners its agriculture I 1 find and its other industries adu tries against the products of other countries where wages are low where tile the standard ot of living la Is far below that upon which we insist so multilateral ti treaties are rega regarded raed by our school of thought in this country as a challenge to our national life the bilateral treaty contemplates an all arrangement whereby I 1 it f tie I 1 theory Is carried to an extreme each of tile the two countries paired in tile the agreement will seek to balance the trade lu in commodities for instance if the united states and poland were to agree on certain trade conce concessions and sign a treaty purchases by poland from tile tho united states slates would be unrestricted so long iong as the american government allowed all of 0 the polish products to come into this country on an unrestricted basis that Is the theory in practice I 1 am told it would not work out that way to use poland ns as an example again it lt seems to be more than likely illery that poland might say to the united states we will nill allow only so much of the american purchases to cone come into our country ns as will equal american purchases here if that attitude were assumed by poland and the hie united states were to agree our exports to poland would have to be reduced reduce normally we ship to poland almost five times as much as we buy from poland the effect Is obvious it would mean strangulation of trade between nations on the other hand there Is that balance of trade idea on which some authorities rely to force open doors that are now partially closed it if poland could be persuaded to buy more from tile the united states than has been the case of course the result will be advantageous to our side there can be no doubt that high tariff rates hold out some foreign products thatis that Is ba barred by the purpose the tariff multilateral treaties it appears from explanations given me will cut down some of those rat rates es while the bilateral treaties may also strike the rates but are more naturally directed toward removal of other obstructions bilateral treaties conceivably can be carried so far that the united states will be trading only with those countries willing to sign such agreements find and limit themselves on the sources of supply the natural assumption to bo be drawn from the various aspects of the now new trend it seems to me Is that an attempt Is being made to get away from the high tariff polley policy which has been an issue between the democratic and republican political parties so many years my own conviction Is that it cannot be accomplished that world conditions are such as to make it impossible for the united states to let down any barriers now stopping the potential flood of foreign products and that adoption of such a course will eliminate some of our own institutions and make further inroads into what Is left of agriculture it if one is willing to concede that our nation or the majority of its people favor the protection policy then I 1 gather that the job to which most attention ought lit to be paid la Is that of finding markets in this country for foreign products that do not compete or do not seriously damage our own economic structure it if attention Is given to that end economists who are not politically minded tell me that outlets will be opened abroad for amerl ameri can made goods we will have our coffee our rubber our bananas our cork and a score of other things and we will pay for them so it is with some other peoples they will have our cotton our tobacco our canned fruit and so on and they are willing to pay for them it surely Is made to appear therefore that the government Is not attempting to increase trade in one way that it could be done namely help the foreigners increase their markets here tor for the things we do not produce there has been considerable adverse comment aroused in washington ing ton to the ac centralized tion of the admira admin information Inform atlon ld in organizing what it calls a national executive council the president in announcing formation of the council explained that there were so many governmental agencies of nationwide scope that it seemed advisable to formulate a program by which individuals everywhere could go to a single center in their county and obtain information lie ile pointed out how wheat farmers or cotton farmers required advice on acreage reduction problems liow how the national recovery administration reached into hundreds of cities and towns how farm owners wanted to know how to proceed with their applications to borrow under the farm credit act how homo home owners in small and large towns would always have problems to discuss in connection with home loans and various other phases of normal and emergency governmental activity the president thought it was a fine move to concentrate in one place all information respecting these matters the row in the agricultural adjustment administration that preceded the transfer of G N peek administrator to new duties in charge of export trade promotion apparently left an unpleasant in the mouths mouth of so some in e f farm a r in I 1 leaders e a ds reactions have come from various sections of the country representatives and senators returning from their homes tor for the new session brought back many blistering remarks about the fuss between sir mr reek peek nod secretary wallace and assistant secretary tugwell of the department of agriculture ri rl mr reck peek always has been interested in agriculture because it was Ms his business busi iness to b be e while lie he was head of the great moline plow company and other farm implement enterprises but he be apparently was unable to convince wallace and tugwell that lie he was on the right track in the lie way he administered the adjustment act 0 1933 western vows paper un union loli |