New-York tribune., 1918-08-04
By Ralph Block

in Washington. Those long,
low buildings that went up
like magic early this year, where the
American business man can be found
at his most typical quality, are full
Of them. But this is, after all, a
room by itself. True, ii hardly dis
closes itself 1t is emptier than
most Of them, has less Of the extcn-
sive forestry of business to hide and
impede what is going on a desk
and two tables are at one end, trade
charts of world routes done in Mer-
GATORS projection hang on the bare
) walls there is a settee.
But it is a room that can afford to
be silent. Its works proclaim it, Its
bonely atmosphere is OF the very
stuff of riches, not mere coins or
currency. but produced wealth,
drawn from every quarter of the
known earth. The month of Nav
saw the passage of $6SO.OO0. 900
worth of goods through it. With the
faintest outlay of imagination you
may catch in it the scent of Sumatra
spices, see at the end of one of its
radiations dirty, merchandised
wharf in some strange Malay port,
conjure out of it Indian ivory, teak
wood forests, Chinese lacquers. It
is room for stern business, but
nothing can put off the romantic
connotations of it. 1t is the Bureau
+, Of Imports of the War Trade Board
and every ounce of foreign materials
must come here vicariously for ap-
proval before American gates will
open to it.
Seeking Some
Simple Conclusion
1t is an amazing world now, this
one of war. 1t complicates itself
chiefly to produce simplicity. You
can be sure that wherever you find
it is most intricate it is to produce
triumphantly in the end some sim
pie conclusion, some contenting or
dering OF facts. The War Trade
Board is doing exactly that. The
facts are the ships that sail all the
seven seas. the wares the world
wants, coming out Of jungles and
mines and waters and manufactures
everywhere.
In the careless prodigality of
peace not much need arose for or
der Ships could load, clear and sail
much as they pleased, within the af-
fable limits of international practice.
The earth thrived, traded, bartered,
made; grew and sold and bought. 1t
was pieced-up system, patched
here, spliced there, stretched without
much difficulty, as long as there was
a reasonable honesty about the
stretching.
What could smash this amiable or
der Of things except the ugly face of
piracy? And it was piracy of a
sort that did it. German nj
.acg. The subject is involved, but at
least war hadn't come without the
instant realization that interna ational
trade would need definite checks
upon II, from central source. if
our own purposes and ends of the
fight were to be served rather than
.he ends Of the nemy. There are a
i0t OF these checks now. But the
enc that chiefly concerns this COM
Mentary is the check upon imports.
A Check on the
Enemy' Needs
Exports are obvious enough. The
enemy needs what we can supply. He
must have it. Therefore, closed
gates to him. But imports
~hy put bars against the satisfac-
lion OF our own needs? Even there
tne answer isn't difficult. For the
war himself is a hungry god. He
Is TO be fed before ourselves if his
4aSof Is TO come to US. And in the
present instance his need is men, and
snete can be no men without ships.
mat is the business Of the Bu-
.sau OF Imports Of the War Trade
hoard. 1t has its fingers stretched
over the whole world, diverting traf-
TIC from rubber and ivory and rice
ana wool to men. America still needs
'"e products Of the world. But it is
heed that must be answered with
e'Seretion. The Bureau Of Imports
- discretion in concrete terms. No
'alp can clear from Calcutta or Yo-
>'hama or Melbourne unless the Bu-
'sau Of Imports gives the magic ses-
@me. 1t sounds difficult, but it isn't.
N%afance for America needs the wise