Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-15

7 with her own colonies. The latter, M
/ HOschiller expects, will seek larger
! advantages from the exceptional sit
| uatiOn in which events have placed
/ them as providers of raw materials IN
! this Industrial war.
Canada, which bought more than
! $426, 900 900 worth of goods from the
! United States during the fiscal year
! l914-15 and only 100000 900 from
! Great Britain, Notwithstanding prefer
entail duties of SO 1-3 per cent, would
be reluctant to consent to an eco
nomic arrangement that would i'm
pede importations from the United
States to the profit of the mother
country, and pay dearer for products
which the latter would not perhaps
be in position to furnish.
Canada. at the same time, Is the
great competitor of Russia in the
British market, its expectations OF
wheat to England having gone from
p per cent of the total in 1882 TO "a
per cent of the total in 1911, while
Russia percentage of British con-
sumption remained stationary at about
IS per cent. Discrimination against
Russia would shut her out OF the mar
ket altogether. Russia's importatiOns
of wheat into Germany were $4,000
NJ Boradaievsky, pointing out the sig
nificance of these figures to the Pan
Russian Agricultural congress, stated
that unless the entente allies facili-
tate the expectation of Russian prod
uCtS the empire would be forced after
the war to an economic arrangement
with Germany
Professor MigOuline, president of
an economic commission attached to
the Russian ministry of finance, wrote
recently that it would be impossible
for Russia to boycott a country like
Germany, which was before the war
its best customer, unless the entente
allies opened their markets more
largely. He points out that Great
Britain bought in foreign markets in
1913, $50, 600 900 rubles in cereals and
2,740 ,000,0 600 rubles in alimentary
products, of which Russia s part was
only 5000, 900 rubles, insignificant
in comparison with Russias exports
to Germany
1t is pointed out by NJ HoschiIler
in the case of Canada that her present
financial dependence on New York
viii eventually make it impossible for
her to treat the United States other
wise than on the basis of a reciprocal
tariff and that, in any case, the like
lhOOd of an economic war such as
would be involved in the interparlia-
mGntary conferences proposed tariff
is impossible between the two coun-
tries.
The nterparliamentary commits
siCn's proposition OF preferential tar
IFS between Great Britain and the
colonies would, in the opinion of NJ
HOSchilleT, make it impossible for
France TO accept the arrangement.
England was Frances best customer
before the war; she bought goods to
the value of a billion and a half francs
principally silks, automobiles and
provisions Of France in 1913-arti-
cles in which Germany could not com
pete. Consequently discrimination by
Great Britain against Germany is OF
no advantage to her, while discrimina-
ton by Great Britain in favor of her
colonies would be a substantial dis
advantage TO her
The sumptuary measures taken by
England to force economy among her
people and thus ease exchange and
freight, and the consequent menace to
French silks and ribbons, is pointed
out by NJ. Yves GuyOt as showing the
character of these economic
problems and how necessary it is for
the allies to go slow.
DavId-Mennett, president of the
Chamber of Commerce of Paris, has
also warned the senatorial committee
On economic organization that the eco
nOmic situation with England and /
Russia is most delicate by reason of I
the action of these countries against /
French Injuries. Our only possible I
reply" he says, would be to tax the |
products that affect the masses"
a war Of tariffs between the allies /
is said by some writer's to be the in
evitable consequence of the economic /
war against Germany as proposed by I
the parliamentary conference. since /
discrimination against the central en- /
pires would leave France and Russia |
in the necessity of competing with |
Great Britain for markets that would /
compensate them for the loss of Ger
man and Austrian trade.
fortunately" said an authority on
economic questions concerning the
work of the conference, the parlia-
who have been discussing
these questions were absolutely with
out official credentials their discus
5iOns were mere talk, land when the
economic relations of the allies be-
tween themselves and with neutrals
and the central empires are taken up
seriously and officially, some, if not
all, the uneasiness caused by the prop
1sitions OF the previous conference,
will be dissipated.
In the talk Of bOycOtting the CEN
raj empires, weIl-intentioned people
nave been carried too far by their
Dwn zeal. France needs German coal;
she needs the German market which,
n spite Of the treaty of Frankfort,
ook enough French goods to more
han balance the coal bought by
france up to 1900. France will not
,asily get coal on as good terms else
where and, what is more important,
he will hardly be able to trade her
'wn goods for it.
The proposal to engage in a war Of
ariffs has already produced one re-r
ult: 1t has furnished Germany with
n additional argument to overcome
he hesitation of Austria to enter the
entral European union"