The Washington herald., 1920-02-24
WORLD TRADE
IN BALANCE
Lostto United States If Cuts
In Commerce Appropri-
ations Stand.
ALEXANDER EXPLAINS
Points Out in Detail Abso-
lutte Necessity Of Ex-
penditures.
ALEXANDER EXPLAINS


States as planned in the executive
appropriation bill will cripple the
United States trade. according to an
iofficiaI interview of Secretary of
Commerce Alexander. made public
last night 1t will leave the De-
partment of Commerce such in name
only. as the cut in the appropria-
tions practically takes away from it
its duty of promoting commerce.
Other nations already recognize
the efficiency Of the present Ameri-
can trade promotion machinery. for
several of the keenest competitors
I OF the United States are copying it
in detail in their efforts to capture
a big share Of the world trade. He
said:
Il do not believe the members OF
the subcommittee which decided to
cut our appropriations for promot-
ing foreign trade had any inten-
tion OF crippling American COM
, merce. The explanation Of their
action. l feel sure. is that they did
not fully realize the part the Bu-
reau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce has come TO play in pro-
noting trade. Our manufacturers
! and exporters take this help from
J the department almost as a matter
of course. II has never occurred
TO them that members OF Congress
might not be as well informed on
the subject as they are Had the
. committee known the attitude OF
the business community IL would
have looked upon the matter in an
entirely different light. Even the
fad
on SO efficiently by the commercial
attaches could be taken over by the
consular service OF the State De-
partment. would not have prevailed.
am sure the committee did not
know that the business men. by
means Of refere ndum by the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States, decided by an overwhelming
majority that a commercial sttache
service should be established in She
Department of Commerce to carry
,on trade promotion work that the
consular service could not handle.
The members Of the committee. ~
fully informed. would undoubtedly
defer to the judgment of the manu-
facturcr and exporter in this mat
ter. for the service is conducted
soley for their benefit
AZ
half OF the existing appropriations
| for the Bureau Of Foreign and Do
mestic Commerce threatens a body
blow at American export trade de-
velopment. 1t will mean the dis
: mantlingiof the most essential part
of our foreign trade promotion ma
chinery at the very moment when
England. Japan. Germany and
ed to increase the volume OF their
export business. Both England and
France have just reorganlzed their
foreign commercial service on a
larger scale than ever before Other
countries are planning to do like
wise. This is no time for the Unit
ed States to throw into the discard
the entire commercial attache serv-
ice
Consider what this drastic cut
in appropriations will mean. Twelve
commercial attaches-men trained
and experienced in commercial and
economic matters-who are at pres
ent attached to embassies and le-
cations in a dozen important for
eigp capitals where they are charged
specifically and wholly with the
I
terests at this critical period in the
world'g history will be withdrawn
perez .utorily within three months
time. At least fifteen trade COM
missoners who are rep rtinG on rap
idly changing commercial condi-
tions in European countries from
Denmark TO Austria VIII have to be
recalled by the first of May.
"A deliberate sacrificing OF the finest
foreign trade promotion machine any
country has ever built up-one which
half dozen of our keenest competi-
tors have sough. to use as a model
The spending Of several hundred thou
sand dollars A year on constructive
export trade promotion work such as
this bureau is accomplishing cannot
be considered as an outright expendi-
ture in any sense of the word. II
should be regarded as an investment
based on the same common sense
. principles, which govern every indi-
vidual business firm in the United
States. 1t is so regarded by the
Chamber of Commerce OF the United
States. by the National Foreign Trade
! Council. by the American Manufac-
turers' Export Association. and by
hundreds OF national and local asso-
CldllOnS OF DuSlutSS men.
I'm the same way the threatened
sbolishment of the bureaus fifteen
district apd cooperative offices in
New York, Chicago. Boston, New Or
leans. San Francisco. St Louis,
Sea tile. Cleveland. Philadelphia. and
six ether cities. will mean the elm
ination of a service which has demon
strated its usefulness in manifold
ways. Each of these ofices fills a
genuine need in its particular district
Each Office forms an important con-
tact between the business public and
the Washington headquarters of the
bureau for the dissemination of in
formation on foreign trade subjects.
What will take their place?
THE Bureau of Foreign and Do
mestic Commerce is not a bureau
crested by the war emergency. Its
appropriations were not increased
to take care Of war activity, and
it's personnel was not added for the
sake of carrying on the wartime
work which is now no longer nee
essary. The bureau has had a con-
sistent growth over a period of
eight years. and there is every bit
as much Justification for the gov
ernment to aid and encourage by
expert technical advice the Ameri-
can firms engaged in foreign trade
as there is for the governme mt.
through the Department Of Agricul-
ture, to aid and encourage the
farmers of the country. Foreign
trade is essential to preserve the
economic stability of the United
States. Cutting by nearly half the