The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-07
GERMAN VIEW STIRS
FREE TRADE UNION
Belgian Delegate Refuses to
Participate with Ex-FOe
as Colleague.
FULLER CREDIT SOUGHT
Economists Urge Fewer Re-
stricti0ns on Distribution
and Production.

| Special Gable Despatch to THE HERALD.
Copyright, 1890, by THE NEW York HERALD
LONDON, Oct. 6.-International free
| traders, setting sail for a three day
conference with supposedly fair winds
from President Wilson'S League of Ma
tons speeding their voyage. did not pro
| coed far before running into rough
| weather and their good old ship Uni
versal Prosperity began to roll alarm
ingly.
Earl Beauchamp, president Of the Free
Trade Unisn, welcomed the delegates
iremarling that It was an Interesting
tCptncidence that the ufenRanAonoi FL
fnad>lel Congress in Br@sela< Bassed
with practical unanimity. resolution
| favul1hg free trade.
Louis Strauss of Belgium then re-
ferred to the conference an open letter
from Dr. Paul Arndt. a professor OF
Frankfort University. who declined an
invitation to attend the meeting, say
ing that the question OF free trade was
OF no practical interest to the Germans
so long as the treaty of Versailles pre-
walls. and adding:
Relations between nations cannot
last long on a breach of faith such as
has been perpetrated against Germany
at Versailles"
NJ. Strauss, after calling attention to
the Arndt letter. said he could not take
part IN the conference as long as Ger
many had not expressed regret for the
wrongs she had done the world. since he
felt that taking part In It would put
him In wrong position. He objested to
the fact that German was going to
speak before the conference and also
because a German delegate had been
accorded the place Of honor.
These troubled waters were quite an
noying to some of the other delegates,
who tried to pour oil on them. Sir Hugh
Bell expressed regret that anything
should interrupt the harmony of the pro-
ceedings. He said he was sure every
one present would extend to Belgium
and other countries which had suffered
| from the German invasion the very
deepest sympathy and stood In readiness
to obtain reparation for them. But he
ventured to urge on his Belgian and
French colleagues that 1T would be bet
ter for them to cooperate with the rest
of the conference in seeking to allay
feelings of resentment rather than to
exasperate Germany.
Yves Guyot OF France said clear
distinction must be drawn between the
political and the economic aspects OF
the questions they were discussing. He
said he wished 1t had been made COM
pulsory on Germany that she accept
free trade.
Earl Beauchamp said it was only now
that the world was beginning to feel
the full effects Of the. chaos which was
wrought in 1914. He declared there
was a general shortage of commodities
in some States. while others had plenty.
adding that there had been a complete
collapse in methods of exchange. I'VE
believe that the lessons learned during
the war were sufficient to persuade us
that England should remain free
trader" he said. ut has been great
advantage to u.s."
He believed that hostile tariffs would
be fatal for the small nations which
have been evolved out of the war. at
the same time expressing the opinion
that they should not be encouraged to
fix fresh tariffs. He said Belgium's re-
covery was the result of the fact that
she was free trade State.
Hartley Withers, editor OF the Econo-
mist. described protection as a luxury.
He said some nations were unable TO
pay for the goods they needed, while
in others the markets were glutted. He
declared II would be a hideous mistake
to impose further restrictions on pro-
duction and distribution. The cure, he
asserted, was freer distribution by means
of free trade and the granting of
cradits