Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-30
H|GHERU. S. TARIFF
AROUS|NG WORLD
Europe, Latin America and
Canada Apprehensive of
Proposals.
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

PARIS, March 30.--Thes proposed re-
vision upward OF. the Fordney -Mccum-
Der tariff Of 1912 by the special session
Of Congress next month ~ being con-
telmplated with . sort Of grim appre-
hensioi by the whole Of Europe, Is well
as by Canada and by Latin America.
TITS believed that Congress intends to
increase the duties not only on al Agri-
cultural products. but on textiles, chemi-
cal products and many manufactures.
sittinss OF the ways and means commit
tee OF the House have been carefully
followed by foreign business men. Ju-
ridicAiiy, tariffs may be purely an In
ternal affair, but practically they are
one Of the principal causes Of interna-
tional disputes.
The alleged intentions Of Congress are
characterized by European observers
as evidence Of "disquietine imperialism. "
The only really serious outstanding
question between the United States and
the rest Of the world, says one writer,
Is tariffs. The proposed upward revi-
sion, II carried out, will result, It is
safe to assert, In fresh outbreak OF
the Franco. American tariff dispute, In
which France seems to be regarded as
everybody's champion against the
United States.
Future Plans Discussed.
Measures OF defense and reprisal are
everywhere being discussed. Genuine
tariff wars are threatened and, accord
ing to one school of political thinkers,
it is precisely economic fnisunderstand-
ings of this description which are apt
understandings.
Holland is bitter over our embargo on
Dutch bulbs. Uruguay protests our
meat embargo. Cuba resents the pro-
posed increase In the duty on sugar.
Spain protests the increase in embargo
and implies that she will make no COM
mercial treaty with us until our dispute
with France settles the questions Of
principle involved Austria says France
Is lighting Europe's battles. French
chambers of commerce and economic
are warning the govern
ment to be firm.
Argentina, seeing its wheat and dairy
products menaced. has started the
slogan Buy from those who buy from
u.s." and talks Of running the United
States wheat exports by planting wheat
on 3o,000,00 acres Of grazing lands.
Germany Complains.
Germany complains of the instability
Of the American tariff as well as its
''prohibitive" nature and Is taking the
lead In the formation Of European car
tells. In Great Britain the chambers Of
commerce of towns interested in the
WOODEN industry have protested through
the British Ambassador at Washington
On the complaint of Swiss watchmakers,
the Swiss national economy minister
has Just held long conference with the
Swiss Minister at Washington.
Canada. fearing to see q 100 per cent
duty levied on its agricultural exports
by the United States, refuses to renew
the liquor smuggling convention and
takes O high stand in the I'm Alone In
cident, delays action in the st. Law
renee ship canal negotiations and medi-
tates notifications in Its wood and pa
per exports upon which the United
States Is partially dependent.
Almost everywhere allegations are
put forward against the United States
that America makes unfair use Of sani-
tary embargoes and American Treasury
agents investigating the books Of for
eign firms are really trade spies. Amer
lean customs formalitieS are onerous
and illogical, as, for instance, when we
increase the duty 10 per cent on articles
bearing the words Fabrication Fran
caise," instead of the words Made in
France" Our tariff schedules are UNI
stable and can be changed almost day
to day so that the foreign exporter
never knows just what the market con-
dition is going to be.
Discrimination Alleged.
America claims to give every one the
same treatment, but in reality she dis
against certain nations. part
" by sanitary embargoes and partly by
excessive tariffs on the kind of goods
chiefly produced by those countries.
Americas large and rich interior mar
ket enables her to dump her surplus
abroad cheaply. Her exports are in
and her products are flooding
the world. BY insisting for herself
everywhere an unconditional most
treatment, she prevents
other countries from combining In de-
tense against her; yet at the same time
by the highest tariffs In the world she
tends to shut others out Of her home
market.
The United States insists that Europe
must pay her huge war debts, yet she
refuses to take Europe's goods. Not
content with this situation, America
now proposes to make this tariff still
by the extension Of the
tariff to more articles: second, by In
creasing the rates on other articles, and
third, by basing the duty hereafter not
on the foreign wholesale value. but on
the theoretical American cost value.
Naturally. America Is able to make
logical replies to all these charges, but
the fact remains that these things are
being persistently said and persistently
and that almost the entire
world Is united against her on these
issues.
Methods Seen ~ Dispute.
The dispute at bottom Is q dispute
of tariff methods. Before the war Eu-
rope favored fixed tariffs and uncon-
ditional most favored nation treatment,
but America favored reciprocity and
treaties. Then Europe was
strong and America was relatively weak.
Now the roles are reversed. America
is strong and Europe Is weakened.
Europe has adopted the bargaining
system while America, since 1923. has
stood firmly for one rate to all and for
NOS. favored nation treatment from all
to ali. The importance Of Americas
dispute with France is that 1t y based
precisely on this issue. s.
France In 1927 voted q high tariff
sn,sfI, ,,r0visin,, that rates on certain
articles could be greatly lowered In ex-
change for reciprocal concessions from
other countries. A few months later the
new Franco German commercial treaty
was concluded. On many articles Ger
many, having made to France recipro-
cal concessions, was given the minimum
rate, while the United States, barred
by its laws from making special conces-
sions and having for the moment no
commercial treaty with France, had to
pay the maximum, or four times as
much, on the same articles.
America Takes Action.