The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-10
OFFICIALS BLAMED
FOR TRADE ERRORS
DIR. Il. 4. Pratt Attacks Com
merce Department and
Shipping Board.
NEED FOR FIXED POLICY
Government at Washington
Greatest Hindrance to For
eign Business, He Asserts.

Or. Edward Ewing Pratt. formerly
chief OF the United States Bureau Of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce and
now vice-president of the Overseas Pro-
ducts Company, delivered an address
on Foreign Trade" IN the Y. w. c. A
auditorium at III Fulton street yester-
day afternoon before a large audience
OF downtown business men and women.
The address was in Connection with the
opening of a course in foreign trade
which is being given under the auspices
of the Business Training Corporation.
Most OF the handicaps TO a greater
foreign trade that really exist, accord
ing to extracts from DR.. Pratts address.
have to do with our Government In
Washington.
ct believe that to-day our Govern
ment at Washington as q whole is the
greatest single hindrance to the devel-
opment OF our foreign trade" the alb
stracts quoted DIR. Pratt as saying, "And
am going to tell you why think 30.
an the first place, we have at the
moment no Intelligent business leader
ship on the part OF our Department OF
Commerce. We should naturally expect
that the Secretary in charge Of that
Department would be most sympathetic
with business and that he would take
the lead in solving the real business
problems of the country. But to the
contrary he hampers and binders BUSH
ness enterprise. The plan Of price fixing
which has been recently adopted by the
Department Of Commerce, appears to
be an effort that can only lead to a
continuation OF the present unstabilized
price situation in this country. This
In turn can only mean a continuance
OF the business stagnation that exists
to-day In the export business and to
q degree in domestic business as well.
No Fixed Shipping Policy.
There is also lack of an able and
far-eighted shipping programme on the
part of our Government. The lack of
upon the United States Shipping Board.
At the present. moment there seems to
be an utter lack of definite policy ON the
part Of our Shipping Board. In fact
the Chairman himself is reported to
have said We have no policy. We are
drifting but hope to drift into the right
policy 1t isn't so much a question
as to whether the Government is going
to operate the ships. or whether they
are not going to operate them; It is
not so much the definite restrictions that
chant marine; IL is not 80 important
whether the Government Is to own those
ships or sell them.
THE thing that IL important at the
present moment, tho thing that Ia needed
to bring about a establishment Of nor
NAL conditions at this moment is to
decide on a policy and stick to IL. And
that Is the one thing that the Shipping
Board is not doing at the present mo-
ment One day they decide on the So
tuition of q problem and announce a
programme: shippers and exporters pre-
pare to work under the programme; the
next day 1t is changed. The exporter
and shipper to-day hasn't the slightest
Idea of where he stands in shipping
matters.
The latest development of the Ship
ping Boards activities Is that the Chair
man of the Board intends to go into
marine insurance. This is an extreme
~ dificult and technical business and
one which the Government should en-
tirely leave alone. In addition such
actions on the part OF the Board is
entirely unnecessary.
Sees Foreign Trade Development
DR.. Pratt said that the United States
stands at the threshold OF considerable
development in foreign trade. The period
between August 1914. and the end OF
1917 when there was tremendous de-
velopment, he described as the bonanza
period OF foreign trade. He showed
that our foreign trade increased from
s760.0o0,0o0 in 1880 to $4,000. 200. 900 in
1914, and $4,000, 100000 in 1917. and
pointed out that between 1900 and 1917
our foreign trade had been revolution
lied in that instead OF merely exporting
raw materials We became large export
ers of manufactured articles.
DR.. Pratt said one important phase OF
the foreign business Of the future will
be export of capital
Another important asset. he said. is
to be found in closer contact with
sources Of raw material. illustrating his
point by saying that now we are buying
crude, rubber and wool direct from the
countries which produce them instead of
buying through European jobbers.
Still another big asset. he declared,
is awakened public interest in foreign
trade on the part of business men and
manufacturers, bankers and investors"
One thing that is hindering the re-
establishment of normal trade condi-
tions. DR.. Pratt said. is the continued
Government restrictions that are applied