Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-12

Washington. including $4,000. .O0O. 900
loan to entente powers. To keep it up
and bear its own vast war expenses the
United States must adopt the sound
war motto, Business as usual Mod
ern war is economic as we'll as mill
tary.
I'VE couldn't send 100000 men to
France in our own ships If we wanted
to- said Mr.. Patchin. I'm 1916 only
6 per cent. of the clearance to Europe
was represented in American ship
ping.
Must Aid Aliens
War trade has so swollen this coun-
try exports as to obscure the fact
that not until last year did American
exports other than European countries
exceed in value those of the last nor
NAL year before the war. Retention of
this trade depends upon sustained ef-
fort The countries of Latin America,
the Far East Africa and Oceanica have
turned to us for merchandise customar-
lily supplied by Europe. Their need is
great They are paying heavily. If
they are unable to continue to OBJ
tain necessary manufactures and raw
materials from the United States they
Will be in a serious situation and lose
confidence in this nations ability to
play a really great role in world COM
merce. Our chances of permanently
HoiulnB SuCn markets Will ulnlnlSn.
This country, therefore, is under a po-
litical. as well as a business obliga-
tion. to maintain its foreign commerce
as usual The continued supply of
food and munitions to the entente pow
ers is primary military necessity.
" Foreign business as usual there
fore, presents a twofold problem; first.
of keeping up production of export
foodstuffs, raw materials and manu-
features. despite the enlistment of
million men in the army. and, second.
of transporting the exports and i'm
ports, despite the fact that the total
worlds tonnage is about twenty five
per cent. smaller than it was at the
beginning of the war.
Foreign shipping available for
AUerican trade is, through war losses
and impressment, decreasing more rap
lily than American tonnage is expand
ed"
The manufacturers of Harrisburg
and Pennsylvania generally can rem
der no more patriotic service than to
aid the shipping board in early deliv-
cry of the materials necessary for this
unusual vessel construction. The pro-
gram is really more engine building
than a wooden ship building PROPOSE
ton for the lumber can probably he
more quickly obtained and put to-
gether than the machinery. The ex-
wooden ships are not economic for
normal commerce, and ii would be un-
fortunate after the war if they were to
be employed by the government in
uneconomic competition with private
shipping enterprise. Meanwhile, how
ever every wooden ship that can be
put into the transatlantic trade may
leave free other vessels to serve neu-
trail commerce with those nations rem
dered dependent upon us.
Commercial Problem Unchanged
Our entry into the war does not
change the commercial problem in
volVed in the fact that manufacturing
production has attained a capacity
which the normal demands of the
United States and. the comparatively
small export trade in manufactures we
had before the war will not keep busy.
We are about to join Europe in vast
war expenditures. National indebted
ness and taxation will be greatly in
creased, requiring after the war every
dollar of foreign business we can fair
ly gain. Harrisburg knows the great
prosperity brought to its people by
foreign business during this war. How
are you going to keep up that foreign
business? You must watch it during
the war and you must doubly watch
it when intensified European competi-
ton is resumed after the war. James
A. Farrell, president of the United
States Steel Corporation, and chair
man of the National Foreign Trade
Council, declared in 1914, one week
after the European war began: For
eign trade is a vital element in domes-
tic prosperity" At the Foreign Trade
convention in Pittsburgh a few weeks
ago he paraphrased it to read, NO
enduring prosperity without foreign
trade"
Urges Better Tariff System
Against the possibility that a fu-
ture shrinkage of American foreign
trade will decrease the present
abounding prosperity, it is sincerely to
be hoped that coincident with it's war
policies the Government will develop
the following commercial policies, en-
dorsed by several national foreign
trade conventions and by sound bust
ness and economic thought:
Il. Conservation of merchan' tom
mage, protection of dollar exchange,
and foreign investment in order to
maintain established foreign trade
during the war.
"2. Enactment of the Webb bill,
authorizing cooperation among ex-
porters on the same basis as their for
eign competitors.
"3. Greater fleXibility in the AM
erican tariff system, whatever be its
underlying principle, in order that
American foreign trade may be en-
couraged and protected from discrim-
ination during the era of worldwide
tariff changes and commercial treaty
readjustment which will follow the
war.
"A. More systematic study and CO.
operation between businessmen and
the government regarding information
al commercial policies after the war
and their effect upon the United
States.
rs. Development of the American
merchant marine on a sound, eco
nomic basis, enabling American ship
ping enterprise to compete with that
of foreign nationsy
Sound Foreign Policy
"A sound national foreign trade pol
icy is as important as sound military