Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-22

many commodities over the pTouuC-
ton and distribution of which federal
authority, always with the co-opera-
ton Of the industries concerned. had
to be exercised to guarantee an ade-
quate supply for military require
ments The experts in various lines
who fought the war with the War In
dustries Board contributed their best
advice in conferences with the war
service committees of the hundreds
OF industries on transition problems.
OF Importance to industries gener-
ally throughout the United States, and
especially to those
nacisior -, which have been fear
full that their market
Aunssten. might be demoralixed
by the dumping of large supplies of
war materials by the government and
to those which have been built UP at
abnormal costs to produce war ma
terials and which have. not yet
amortized their plants. is a, decision
just made by the War Trade Board,
which shows what the policy OF. that
board Is to be regarding such indus
tries In the postwar period.
This decision will unquestionably
have a far-reaching effect on foreign
trade, as we'll as upon hundreds of
industries throughout the United
states. It was given regarding tung-
stem. There Is today a surplus of
tungsten materials In this. country,
just the same as there is of other
war materials. The prices are high,
Tar above normal "A number of Amer
lean producers have como into the
market with production to meet the
war demands and have not yet amor
tized their plants.
Producers, consumers, importers,
dealers and bankers who back them
have agreed that the situation could
be eased off satisfactorily with the
least loss If the War Trade Board
could see its way to place an embargo
on imports for three months. The
agree.
The War Trade Board conside cred
this proposal, and decided that, while
great sympathy was
An Embarpo felt for those in trou-
BILE. it regretted that
1sei "Seu' it found it's powers in
adequate to afford the desired relief.
The decision that this was out of the
jurisdiction of the board was based
OH the principles:
First-That the power of the War
Trade Board terminates with the end
of the war, and the board does not
know that it will have any power in
three months. Therefore, if 1t an
hounced an embargo for three months
from now it might find 1t had no
power to enforce it.
Second - The power to place EN-
bargoes was given to the board for
war purposes, with a view to econ
omy in shipping. AS it has been an
nounced that the Army already is
beginning to turn ships back to COM
mercial trade, the War Trade Board
felt it could hardly take the ground
of stopping imports to save ships for
military purposes.
Third-Tungsten is only one of a
very large number of commodities
in which the situation is very sub
stantially the same. Any relief af-
forded must be such as covers the
entire situation. and the board feels
that this is properly matter for
Congress to decide.
Fourth-Any arbitrary exercise OF
authority like this means the help
ing of one branch of American indus
try at the expense of other branches
that is, sustaining the price OF tung-
stem, which would be the object of
the embargo. means keeping up the
. price of materials entering into steel.
Therefore. the tungsten people would
be favored at the expense of the
steel. people, This is permissible in
war times, and as a war measure, but
only so.
The real importance of this de-
cision is that for the first time the
policy that the War Trade Board is
to follow is therein defined.