, 1921-12-12
THE WORLD AND PROTECTION.

The Tribune has frequently called attention to the
sp,plovment of protective ideas in tarins adopted oy
the various countries of the world. The WISDOM u the
Ansrican Man has been acknowledged and used by
many governments, particularly since the war Son-
ditions have been so disrupted, by reason OF uneer-
tainty of labor and materials supply tnaI none % =
ran,facturinp countries have felt safe to go ahead
without safeguarding their interests by some form OF
tariff protection. Leading the list IN this parueuia,
regard was Great Britain, which, in her so-calea
safeguarding Of industries" act has provided Tor a
duty of SO per cent on an exhaustive list OF articles,
which may be added to as the commission authorized
by that act may see fit. Other countries mentoheo'
with a summary of what they had done in this par
ticular, were Austria, British East Africa, BRUSH
Honduras, Jugoslavia, Rumania, Australia, the Bar,
BADGES, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, France, japan and
Argentina, all of which have revised or are revising
their tariff schedules upward.
Great Britain is extending her Safeguarding OF IN
dugtries' act in every conceivable fashion, some OIL
the extensions being amusing. In The case OF compo-
site articles, of which an article liable to duty forms
a part, the duty is to be chargeable against the dun-
able part. Hence, a doll with lamp-blown glass eyes,
pays duty on the eyes, and IN electric lamp with tung-
stem wire flament, pays duty on the flament-
To this list of protection countries may now De
added Finland, which according to the department OF
commerce is considering "a general tariff revision
along protective lines with q great increase in import
duties, and an early adoption is predicted" Monthly
commerce reports state that German import duties
have been doubled by a decree effective November
2s." The new tariff of Latvia became effective oc-
tober Is.
Polish import duties on luxury goods, payable in
paper marks, have been increased from 800 times the
gold rate to 500 times those basic rates and on those
ordinary commodities not specified in any other list,
comprising ordinary merchandise, the duties, as paid
in paper currency have been increased from 100 times
the basic gold rates to 400 times those rates. This is
said TO offset considerably the fall of exchange, hence
it means higher protection.
Consul Whitney, at Tahiti reports that, "a recent
decree has increased all octroi de mer duties on goods
imported into the Society Islands. Both the specific
and ad valorem duties have been increased 20 per
cent" These duties are in addition to the regular
customs duties and are collected when the import du-
ties are paid. They represent an additional tax to
get into that small but somewhat important market.
These actions on the part of competing nations are
hard blows at the free traders. They used to point
to England as a classic example of free trade, but
England today is staunchly protectionist.
Considered in Their general aspects these tariff
symptoms do something to prove how inapropos was
the league of nations conception which was based on
the idea, privately supported by its sponsors, and pub
lely denied by them, that the nations of the world
should acknowledge this body as a super-government
and that internationalism should override national
ism. The whole tariff movement throughout the
world is based on a remarkable revival of the spirit
of nationalism, a revival which seems to follow after
every great war. These tariffs are essentially nation
~alistic, and the United States cannot get back to its
own national tariff policy any too soon.
The argument of the free traders that this would
result in retaliation on the part of other nations has
been completely s%queehed. We have not yet returned
to the protective policy, although it has already, found
universal acceptance and been crystalized into law
in practically every commercial country but our own.