The Washington herald., 1921-07-12

cnaut Up akdihst aHy ooos' Dut ~
doesn't have an equal opportunity.
and he knows 1t. We are using the
country's best brains and a lot OF
its capital in trying 10 develop q
merchant marine. There is apso-
lutely no use for an American mer-
chant marine IL we do not go, the
further step and enable our mer-
chants to go out and drum up trace
for our ships. We can't expect the
British. the Japanese, or the French
to give our ships any business. for
the simple reason that they have
ships of their own to feed. We
may ultimately get a little busi-
ness from the Germans and the
Russians, for their ships have been
swept from the seas, but our real
business has got to come from the
American merchant in the outport.
/ think IL was first in 1916 that
the American merchants In China
urged upon Congress the necessity
Of legislation to enable them to
function properly in meeting for.
eign competition which they knew
was certain to return after tine
close OF the war. In their desire
for this legislation they had the
support of manufacturer, cham
bers Of commerce, and trade bodies
all over the country. Practicaffy
everybody appreciates the import
ance of China, with its territory
one-sixth larger and its population
four times as great as our own.
as an outlet for our surplus prod
ucts. Practically everybody agrees
that the ground hasn't been
scratched out there: that China is
almost certain to develop. Indus
trially as Japan has developed, and
that We ought, by every logical
reason, to be able to trade witR
China as we do with Japan.
Up to Congress.
Why is It that Congress cannot
provide the necessary legislative
machinery for our merchants to
function? Why is Il that we re.
Quire months and yesrs-in the case
OF the China trade active years
to take an action that other coun-
tries would attend to in a week or
almost overnight? In the answer
to this question is the reason for
the inability of our merchants to
trade abroad. We cah't attribut.
the reason to our unfamiliarity
with foreign commerce for in the
old days preceding our civil war
we had our clipper ships on every
sea and our traders in every mort.
L hesitate to suggest a further
aooitlon to our already cumbersome
legislative machinery, but I believe
one way out Of our present dilemma
would be through the creation NJ
eecial standing committees in botb
Nsnches of Congress dealing en-
trely with foreign trade. After
listening to several of the hearing,
on Alaska, where II was deveIoned
that approximately seventeen bu,
reaus and committees have a saw
ABOUT that important Territory
naturally hate to suggest NOR. com
mittees, but 1 do not sec how we
are ever going to function efficient-
iy IN foreign trade unless We do
something. In the development n,
our foreign trade and shipping over
the world We must be able to me-,
competition and changing conditions
as they develop. Loss Of time NAV
mean enormous losses to our n,er.
chants and to our government as
well. The China trade act. a meas.
ure that has met absolutely no or
ganized opposition, but which Ia.
been In Congress for Ave wear, and
the end is not yet. is an excelI.nt
example in hand. In this same me-
riod the British have made changes
IN their China companies enact
ments' at least four times to nv
posi.ive knowledge. No wonder they
get the trade!
Julean Arnold, our excellent COM
mercial attache in China, was re-
Gently quoted in the newspapers to
the eject that the Germans have
already negotiated q new CONNER
cial treaty with the Republic Of
China that places them in an e.-
cellent position to regain their foot
mold 1t isn't necessary to tel what
the japanese are doing; or the Rrit-
ish. They are on the job. acting.
not talking.
(Signed) J.B. POWELL
Editor Millards Review, Shanghai
China.