Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-08
Saturday, February 8, 1919.
Exploiting Americans for Europe

SATURDAY, 6o0fUoFy o. 1919
Exploiting Americans for Europe
After having closed British West
Indian ports to American -four by
embargo for some months. the Grain
Corporation has finally come to it's
senses and licenses will hereafter be
issued to American exporters for
shipments of our flour to that market.
Whether. in the meantime, Canadian
and Argentine -four exporters have
secured such a hold on The market as
TO make it impossible for the Ameri-
can exporters again to secure foot
ing remains to be seen. Suffice to
say that the unfair treatment which
has been accorded the American ex-
porters by the Grain Corporation has
not created any particular sympathy
for the administration on the part Of
the -four shippers.
1t seems that some months ago the
Grain Corporation made an informal
arrangement with the Canadian au-
thorities by which to Canada was al
lotted the British West Indian flour
trade, and to the United States was
allotted the trade in the French West
Indies. In 1917 our French West
Indian flour trade amounted to a lit
tie over 100000. while our exports
Of -four that year to the British West
Indies exceeded $3.000,000. Thus. by
this new arrangement we got the GUS
tomary to in favor of the foreign
competitor which has been charac-
teristic of the Democratic administra-
ton since it came into power. But
this was not all. The Grain Corpor-
alton had quite ignored the pos
sibility OF Argentine COMPETE
tion, and as Argentina was operating
under no restrictions. she soon be-
came a sharp competitor in the insu-
lar territory allotted to us, and to
some extent in the Canadian terri
lean millers were deprived Of thia
outlet for flour they saw Canadian
millers shipping their flour in bona
through the United States to Ameri-
can ports in order to reach West In
dian ports to which they had no
steamship communication Of their
own. AS -four exporter recently ex-
pressed it: You can we'll imagine
how We felt when we ourselves were
being restricted in order to allow the
freest use Of railroad facilities for the
government. to see train after train
go by filled with the flour Of our COM
pctitors, using our equipment and our
shipping facilities, which we were
being held back to conserve. Had it
not been so serious to US it would
have been humorous. not to say gro
tesque."
This recalls another arrangement
perfected by Secretary Redfield with
the Canadian authorities. which was
more serious than grotesque to Amer
lean fishing industries: This arrange
ment, camouflaged as war necessity,
permits all Canadian fish to come in
free, but II an American fisherman
should SO much as be blown into a
Canadian port by storm at ca, and
his smack were loaded with fish. he
would be obliged to pay the Canadian
custom authorities duty on that fish.
Little instances Of this sort, and there
are many Of them. go a long way to
indicate what champions Of American
interests are now running the Admin
istration.
REWRITING to the -four situations as
1t is now. our exporters declare their
belief that Canadian millers, or any
other Canadian shippers, should not
be allowed to send freight in bond
through our territory at lower rate
than our shippers can obtain. and
they cite the fact that -four. for ex-
ample, went through at an export
rate while our shippers had to ship
at the domestic rate. "1f," they in
quire. American shippers are so
handicapped because Of lack Of suf-
ficient railroad facilities, why should
we surrender any Of them to our COM
petitors without making them pay
for the privilege?" Why. indeed?
And why can not New York export
ers get ALLEGATIONS of cargo space
from the Government at reasonable
rates, while British shipping compa-
MES are rapidly securing all the
freight business?
An East Winthrop man says 1t is a