The Washington herald., 1920-03-10
FRANCE WANTS
US. PRODUCTS
Clamor for Prohibitive Tax
On American Imports
Dies Down.
NEW ENGINES NEEDED
Typewriters, Sewing Ma
chimes, and Farm lmple-
ments in Demand.
NEW ENGINES NEEDED
tPublie Ledger Service, Special
Cable Dispatek.D

Cable Dtspnten-b
Paris, March s.-Your correspond
ent Understands that the French
minister Of finance and commerce
win decide against the proposal to
place q prohibitive tax on American
Imports. The discussion is still pro
eeeding, but 1t has been found. after
q fun and complete Investigation
that the Disadvantages to France,
in her present plight. when she Is
in such need Of foreign manufac-
tpres. by far outweighs any epheme-
raj gain. both financially and indus
triaily, which might result from
such taxation-
For some time definite feeiers have
been put out among the heads OF
intsrnationai banks and Importing
agencies, members OF the bourse ana
industrial magnates, to ascertain
their Views on the wisdom of an
e,import tax. From these men has
been gathered a mass Of information
of every character.
Financial Crisis Serious.
Most of them naturally have
rivsn views which would favor their
; papticular line Of business. But a
: larger national view will prevail.
The main object OF the French gov
ernmeut was to find some modus
viyendi to alleviate the present
French financial crisis In America
and thus swing In favor OF France
. the dollar rate of exchange. eues-
; tons of revenue. with wnich 10
y ,N-t tctr q
I eountry and to repay her foreign
lsens. and also the question OF
. urotscfing the industries shattered
by the war, were other important
tconsidefations.
INT all these Inducements to the
Imposing of . tax were swept aside
by the Imperative demands OF the
moment for manufactured goods.
France requires. more than any
thing else, locomotives with which
Z to reorganize her life line OF trans
port. One has only to travel In
France to realize this pressing need
today.
Loeomotives Badly Needed.
In fact her position Is such that
any one undertaking journey
more than 100 miles does so only
with trepidation. The journey may
never be completed.
s. Yesterday two cases arose Of
where serious delays were caused
on the main arteries of France
from defective locomotives. And in
spite Of the large numbers Of Amer
lean army locomotives which France
purchased, the demand to replace
the wars wear and tear has been
far from satisfied.
Typewriters. sewing machines and
above all agricultural machinery
France relies upon America to pro-
vide, and any tax which would imA
pose the free import of such articles
N these would retard the speedy
Reconstruction Of France.
German Efforts FAN.
Germany has been making strenu-
Gus, but unsuccessful. efforts to
supply France with some of these
needs. German manufacturers even
went 50 far as to rename one Of
their makes of typewriters the
"victory Typewriter" One can cas-
i',f vtn1agire nov the French mind
fived this singular but TYPICAL
German lack of tact.
Stiii this does roL deter the Ger
nnans. happy In their temporary ad-
.ySatz7e of the low value of the
|. aFzFk. from andesvoring to dump
their goods on France. But France
desires American goods above all.
France Is also looking to America
and Canada for reforestation of her
devastated area. SO urgent are her
needs in this direction that she has
had to call in Norwegian experts
to survey and re-establish her for
ests. Your correspondent met a
party Of these Norwegian forestry
experts on . Calais train, who were
proceeding Immediately to Valen-
ciennes to embark on labor. render
ed necessary by = few hours of Ger
man sheliing. but the fruits OF
which will not be seen for CEN