Evening star., 1919-05-04
A Scrap in the
Trade Kitchen.

AAoue AAAScAoA' now that the
| worlds workmen. setting about the
reconstruction of war-wrecked Iu-
| rope, are looking to Uncle Sam 10
supply them with full dinner palls'
! the energetic avuncular genius mas
conceived the idea of giving a 1or-
egn trade banquet for the manu1ac-
turers and other business interests
| that helped him make the world sa1e
for democracy Of honest competition
He has been disconnected to ma
| that there are "too many COOKS am
bilious to run his trade kitchen. and
| that they are messing around IN
way that is wasting his culinary re-
sources and squabbling among them
selves.
That is to say, there's a scrap on the
kitchen side of the door, the invited
guests arc embarrassed by the scrap,
and Uncle Sam has to restore order
before the ingredients for the best
trade banquet that ever was served
| are wasted.
There are at least thirteen govern
| ment departments or establishments
particularly interested in various
phases Of foreign trade. Now that
after many garish years during
! which the United States was not
foreign trade nation a broadened and
brighter commercial horizon has been
lighted up by the European conf1a
grafton, all of these governmental es-
tablishments are ambitious to take
nn ~ y,q rf n
foreign trade development-suffic
at least to grab off a good-siZed ap-
preparation. Over night almost, in a
number of federal departments for
eign trade organizations and pro-
grams are coming up like mushrooms.
Some of these are helpful and not
unduly ambitious to a degree that
will work harm to the
Rivalry of general purpose of Uncle
Sam to get his rightful
o"Aoo"S' share of the worlds
business for his manufacturing estab-
lishments, which. in turn, consume
the resources of his mines. forests,
fields and farms, and which give en-
ployment by the millions to his
nephews and nieces.
Waste of good liberty loan dollars
threatens through duplication and
rivalrous efforts. but even more Sc
rious menace exists. A long time RI
valry between the consular service
of the State Department and the bu-
reau of foreign and domestic COM
merce of the Department Of Com
merce is likely to cause results that
will not operate for the best and
most efficient comm ercial interests of
the United States. unless properly
restrained.
The exporters and importers and
manufacturers who know Of this RI
valry and of recent developments are
afraid that their best interests may
be endangered. They know full well
that q great deal of good liberty loan
money will be wasted if this rivalry is
allowed to run rampant, money which
could and should go into a concerted
and we'll directed campaign for de-
velopme ent of foreign markets So they
are calling for Showdown"
1t seems obvious that all questions
of trade jurisdiction should come un-
der the Department of Commerce, es-
pecially as the bureau of foreign and
domestic commerce has developed an
extensive organization and program
to handle the enlarging opportunity.
and is awaiting only for authorization
from Congress to expand to any de-
sired limit. The public has accus-
toned itself to think of the Commerce
Department as concerned with busi-
ness. and Of the State Department as
concerned with diplomacy and AMIGA
BILE adjustment of international rela-
tions.
The public today thinks of the for
eign trade opportunity Of the United
States as requiring
Aggressiveness aggressive. deter
Is Required. ing ,EN' after M world S
trade in as keen. but always fair,
competition as may be necessary. The
public thinks of present-day inter-
national relations as subject to be
handled most delicately and diplo-
matically. In the one case the United
States should fight for and seize the
trade, in the other it should deal In
kindly, patient spirit with weaker ma
tions who have recently had a great
object lesson In how much the future
and safety Of the world depended upon
the United states.
In other words. the public thinks that
the Commerce Department in world
trade should be aggressive. while the
state Department should be the quin-
tescence Of diplomacy. Therefore the
public, and that includes the business
interests, has hard time trying to
see how the State Department can
bring to foreign trade the rivalrous
frame of mind that the public believes
Nevertheless. there are some strong
arguments to be presented by both
the consular service and by the bu-
reau of foreign and domestic com
merce as to why each should handle
OF administer phases Of foreign trade.
It is no part Of this article to de-
eide the question of which should
dominate.
But 1t is intended to show that a de-
cision must soon be made in way
that will cause the best efforts of the
State Department, of the Commerce
Department, of the Treasury Depart
ment, of the shipping board and other
government establishments to be fo-
cused in a common plan to develop
and promote the foreign commerce of
the United States unfretted and un-
hampered by any petty interdepart-
mental jealousies or ambitions.
X
It would seem as though this was
an occasion ready-made for President
Wilson to exercise
III. pras;dar+,s the authority given
:, to him under the
opportunity Overman act to CO.
ordinate the activities Of various gov