The Washington times., 1924-05-24
EUROPE Turns
BACK TOWARD
SANITY
Countries Are RevivinR in
Business Way and Mental
Atmosphere Improves
BY WILLIAM HARD.


from the Department Of Com
merce and in a special communica.
ton from Henry Chalmers, chief Of
tho Commerce Departments Divis-
ion Of Foreign Tariffs, regarding
the state Of Europe from the bust
ness standpoint.
If the. state Of Europe is as in
Dictated by the information from the
| Commerce Department, 1t becomes
| more unlikely that anxiety about
Europe win play any leading part
in the approaching national political
campaign in the United States,
The indications are that Europe
Is at last genuinely returning in a
general way both to stability and to
sanity. Europe is reviving in its
business and in its mind. Hysteria
1s diminishing. Confidence and co.
operation between countries are in.
creaslng. Europe is not going down
deeper into the pit. 1t Is gradually
climbing out Of it.
OF Importance Here.
Since the state Of Europe is the
state of the worlds political inter
national center, these DEVELOPMENTS
are regarded here as Of primary
fundamental Importance for the no.
littcal peace and accordingly for
the industrial prosperity Of fhe
whole world, including the United
States.
Some Of the little straws reuorted
by the Commerce Department mt
or the present European trade
winds are as follows:
Retail sales OF clothing in Ger.
many are going up. There ia in.
creased production Of clothinr.
Inere Is increased distribution Of II
IN the great Barmen textile dis.
.rict IN Germany the demand for
lapor 10 increasing and the demand
Tor the products of the mills ia
greater than at any time since the
war. 'ne
Textile Industry Good.
In Czechosloval<ia. tha +A~til. g.,
dustry Is optimistic and active IT,
Austria the textile industrv a. nrn-
oucing some 10000 pounds ~
yarn a month, against mn avnroSA
last year. A"ontniv
In general the European taxt,,.
INDUSTRY Is doing so well that E,'-n
pean cloth is beginning to ranS.cH
american cloth in the 1narketS cF
Argentina. -- "e'O VI
The Italian merchant nar,o.
transported 1000, 900 tons naor@ -
freight in the last twelve mon+he
IMAM in the previous twelve nonthS
IN the great port of NanIes IT,
volume OF shipping is approaching
It's pre-War size.
exports Of timber from Poland
rose from a value of 81. 900 O00 IN
1877 to 100000 in 1929.
Inc number Of persons ont ~
work in Sweden has dropned 70
less than $4,000. The imnorta f,onS
OF automobiles into Sweden have
more than doubled.
Russia Is producing annuallv q
quarter OF a billion of bushaIs ~
wheat and half of a billion of
bushels of rye. -
Russian Grain Selling.
Through improved international
relations and improved railroad
communications Russian wheat and
RUSSIAN rye are selling in con.
siderable Quantities in Holland.
from sources outside the Com
merce Department 1t is also learned
that the All-Russian Textile Syndi.
cate through its official representa-.
tive, Alexander Gumberg, in New
York. has bought 5000, 900 worth
or cotton In the United States on
cash payments and on shorNtime
and longtime credit payments since
the first Of the year.
Europe's weakest spots, such an
Germany and Austria and Russia
and the Balkan states, are doing
continuously better.
Mr.. Chalmers as chief Of the Com
merce Departments division Of
foreign tariffs reports that wartime
commercial animosities in Europe
are breaking down and especially
that hopeful signs are appearing
IN the two particular sections Of
Europe where the need was most
urgent for reviewing the network
OF commercial relations DESTROYED
by the war"
These two sections are the little
states separated from Russia and
the little states produced out Of the
old Austro-H Hungarian empire.
Commercial Treaties.
Among the latter, says Mr.. Chal.
mers, Eat least q dozen commercial
treaties have been concluded dur.
ing the past two years, each bring
ing about more liberal trading re.
lations."
Among the former. says Mr..
Chalmers, the remarkable event
has taken place that "Latvia and
Esthonia have agreed to take steps
toward removing the tariff wall be-
tween them so as to make the two
countries substantially one economic
area"
In general, throughout Europe,
says Mr.. Chalmers, "the present
import duties Of many countries
which have put new tariffs into
operation since the war are ma
terially lower than those originally
enacted" and during the past year
events have multiplied which tend
to indicate the movement for ex-
treme restrictive trade measures on
the part Of European nations has
largely spent it's force ana that q
distinct reaction is under way"
Economic Ruin Averted.
In other words, Europe is now re-
acting away from the internal
hatreds and frictions which we're
the deep inward cause q its posi-
bic economic ruin.
It 10 turning from ruin toward
revival, according to these ind.ca-
tons. II they are correct indica.
tions, 1t is believed here that the
United States will soon have to
meet keener European competition
in world markets, but also that In
general and in the long run the
United States will find its European
customers both more numerous ana