Evening star., 1919-04-27

'Give and take" and fair play" are
two principles that mumst be given
prime consideration In tho Develop
! ment OF foreign commerce.
| Give and take" understands that
there are two terms In foreign COM
merce-e xports and
"Good Wil]o imports, and that ex-
porting plus importing
SseA'AsA' EQUALS trade ehiciency.
Fair play" means that the Ameri-
can business interests must. while en-
gaging in zestful competition with
other nations for world trade. observe
scrupulously the trade ethics and thus
preserve the good will in foreign mar
kets so essential to development Of
trade on a permanent. mutually prof
| table basis.
| Both of these principles are being
given careful consideration by MEM
| bers Of Congress who are contenplat-
! ing an overhauling. renovation and
revision of commerce laws to meet
the changed conditions in world trade
including Americas entry for the
| first time into the scramble OF foreign
commerce as a creditor nation. cha1-
| longing all others for foreign trade
and about to operate the greatest
merchant marine in history.
Trade legislation. from a new tariff
law down through oil the labyrinth OF
entanglinG alliances. promises the
| new Congress a plenty to keep it busy
but as the new Congress promises to
be a business mans Congress-. with
| men of practical experience in manu-
featuring, exporting, importing and
trade association activities, pledged to
legislate for business efficiency. it
seems as if this important. complicat-
| ed task has fallen to willing and able
representatives.
The last Congress, besides Its legis-
lation and stupendous appropriation
for the upbuilding Of
Import Trade truly representative
Important. Ame,,ea" r,a.,ne ,.,d "s''nsns = ~.rv
substantial corner stone foro the arch
OF commerce to bridge the seas. in
| the passage Of the Webb-Pomerene
act. which allows combinations or as
sociations for the development OF ex-
port trade along lines specifically pro-
| hibited by the Sherman and Clayton
antitrust laws for domestic trade.
But the last Congress didn't seem
to realize that there must be two sup
porting pillars for such a bridge
across the seas. They provided an
important instrument for export trade
development, but they seemed to for
get that exports plus imports equals
foreign trade efficiency. When they
ordered great American merchant
marine to be built and passed q law
80 as to develop a trade that will
freight these ships with commodities
destined for all ports on the seven
seas. they didn't seem to remember
that it would incrase the cost Of these
commodities to prohibitive price for
any and all ports II these ships were
to como back empty; they didn't seem
to think that no country is so abso-
1utely dependent that 1t has nothing
to give In return carEoes. and that no
country will be content to be always
buying and never selling; they didn't
seem to wake up to the fact that COM
merce means exchange and that If the
United States was always taking pay
and never handing back any cash IT
wouldn't be long before there would
be no money circulating in this little
old world. because Uncle Sam would
have 1t all stored away.
~
OF course this could never happen.
but Congress is getting ready to cor
rect what
other Couarn~an&. seema to haze