Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-07-09
CONNIE RICE Of
EUROPE CAUSE Of
MUCH CONCE RN
Statesmen Discuss How Trea-
ties and Tariffs May Be
Used 10 Get Upper Hand,
When Conflict Is Over
Associated Press Correspondence

and hostile commercial alliances. The
realization OF such visions must vital
I,-affeet the Interests OF all neutral
trading nations, and OF none more
Than the United States.
So many complications in the path
wo, OF this war after the war are
discovered BY business men ana eco
homie writer's that the dream Of a
lasting blood feud of trade may suf-
fer a brief and unmourned career But
.fatesmen IN both European groups
are discussing how each may use
treaties and tariffs. after the yet dis
tsnt peace conference, 10 get the up
uer hand in commerce when the sol
diers have beaten their swords into
l,loWshares and yardsttcks.
Export duties, Import duties, pref
ereutial tariffs, and most favored ma
lion" clauses, are being woven INTO
new combinations, on paper, and these
tofn TO pieces and arranged in new
or patterns as the probable defects Of
each scheme become exposed. Incl
deutallv. the British system Of free
trade, because Of which, or in spite
af which as the case may he, Great
britain has become the richest of Eu-
Iopean nations and able to finance
great war. is being handled irreVerent-
Nv even in the house Of its STRONGEST
friends. That agitation also, con-
tains possibilities which must he in
.eIesting 10 neutral states.
English show Enthusiasm
Great enthusiasm is displayed by
British protectionists over the results
of the economic conference of the en-
tente powers--held i'm Paris The con-
ference was projected first. according
10 general understanding, for the pur-
pose of deyisinE plans to strengthen
the blockade against the central pow
ers. AfterWard its program was eN-
banded to include practical reply
TO the German movement for a Zoll-
yerein of middle Europe. The plat
form issued 10 the public laid down
the principles Of a program for a
commercial alliance of the allies. for
the period of reconstruction following
the war. and also for a permanent
preferential trade scheme
This campaign for what the West
minister Gazette terms a mutual
boycott" by the two families Of Eu-
lopean nations first came before the
public when the German minister Of
finance. with certain colleagues, visit
ed the Austrian capital according to
reports TO breach the subject Of a
commercial union. The conception Of
the "NGttel Europa bund was
launched in 4 BOOK OF that title by
Professor Naumann which has at
tanned remarkably wide circulation
throughout Germany and also Aus
iria 1t proposes a Zollverein of all
The states Of the central group, gath
cred into a lf-sustaininG commercial
empire, stretching from the North
sea to the Persian gulf. The profess
sOr demonstrates that such a comm-
nation might be nearly self-suppolJ-
ing in the matter OF the supply Of
foodstuffs and raw materials for man
ufacmrin9. and be enriched by the
trade among its own members IN
these combinations as well as in man.
ufactures.
Important To United states.
The importance of these combina-
lions to distant neutral nations like
the United states is topic Of argu-
ment Their erection would depend
upon free trade, OF preferential tar
IFS, between their members, That
necessarily would abolish the most
favored nation clause In existing treat
les For the small neutral nations Of
Europe the difficulty Of remaining
outside one or the other Of the great
groups would he created The Scan
dinavan countries, Holland, Spain and
switzerland would be under the pres
sure Of varying geographical forces
ana perhaps of such trading rePua-
lions as are being exercised by the
belligerent powers to prevent the
smaller nations from helping enem-
les.
Statesmanship and diplomacy could
hardly be confronted with more com
lhcations than these proposed trade
unions present From the standpoint
Of geography the middle Europe conf
binatiOn appears more logical and
workable than one consisting Of Brit
ain, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, and
The great British colonies. and the de
tendency of Australia. Canada and
India. Beside the geographical hand
leaps which for the entente ma
lions would mean diyerting much
of their commerce from the
natural channels, there is the
problem Of reCOnciling their divergent
fiscal systems Great Britain is a
free trade country, most Of her allies
are strongly protectionist, while the
Canada and Australia exercise the
right Of maintaining protective tariffs
against the mother country. Free
liade among all its members seems a
necessary condition of a commercial
partnership in which the principal
partner enters the firm on The basis
OF the open door ON the other hand
the open door of free trade necessarily
must be closed against the members
Of the opposition house.
Status of Monetary Exchange.
The status Of monetary exchange
after the war presents another posi-
Die mbarrassment The well-Enown
writer Or. Dillon offers an interesting
prediction The financial plight OF
Hermany and Austria he says, will
De such that the international eX-
change in Berlin or Vienna will ap-
proach more nearly to that OF Petro-
grad than to that Of London. one OF
the direct consequences OF this ire
quality between ourselves ana our al
lies will be that Russia's commercial
custom will be irresistihly drawn 10
many and Austria and away from
Great Britain. For Russia industrial
and oommercial requirements coma
then he much more cheaply supplied
~ me TWO flrst-ntned countries ye-
cause the purchasing power OF the
russian rouble viii be greater in the
central empires than in Britain ana
France. Machinery for instance,
which would cost 10000 pounds IN
Manchester, would be obtainable IN
stuttgart or Chemnitz for about S,7VV
pounds worth Of roubles
American merchants having ambl-
lions hrfafnpGE after me
war may find Dr. Dillons prophecy
useful