Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-07
CUBAN TARIFF PLAN
AvO|DEDAT SESSION
Pan : American Commercial
Congress Hears Truce Pro-
posaI for Fl Nations.

The heralded tariff fight in the Pam
American Commercial Congress was
kept of the floor temporarily today
when the delegates voted for consid-
Grafton in the Resolutions Committee
OF a proposal from the Cuban delega-
Clon Tor a two-year tariff truce.
Inc Cuban proposal, which would
laVor a declaration by the 81 countries
In Pan-America against increasing
tarlf1s for two years, was presented to
the conference yesterday, accompanied
py bitter attack on American tariff
ny ". GustaVo Gutierrez, represent
ing the Cuban government.
Under the action taken today. the
proposal will be threshed out first by
the Resolutions Committee, where some
agreement is supposed to be reached
before II is presented to a plenary ses-
sion for disposition.
Debate Awaits Conclusions.
In this committee each of the coun-
trles Is represented, and whatever prin-
clple Is formulated will be subject To
debate at whatever plenary session II
Is presented. In going to the Resolu-
tlons Committee customary procedure
Is peng followed, despite the opposition
that arose yesterday when 1t was sup-
gesteo on behalf of the Mexican dele
CATION. by Daniel Cosil, that it should
De thrown into a section meeting for
debate. -0-
AT section meeting all the delegates
would have had a chance to air their
views before any principle was formu-
lated
While several of the delegates this
morning favored allowing the pronossl
to go through regular channels they
declared that the matter was one that
warranted full and free discussion.
IN the end, those voting to allow the
declaration to be handled by the Reso-
iutions Committee were Argentine Re-
public. Chile, Brazil. Guatemala. Pam
anna. Paraguay. the United States, Ven
ezueia and Uruguay. Opposed were
H1eXico, Ell Salvador, the Dominican Re
public and Costa RIGA. Those refrain
ing from voting were Cuba. Peru. Haiti.
Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Hon
duras. The vote was taken with very
little discussion.
Scope of Principle.
The principle which the Cubans rro-
pose would take in all the Pan-Amer-
icas, but there is a feeling that it is
directed particularly against the Amer
lean tariff wall
cation to put the conference on record
in favor of an inter-American parley
Tor Nthe reconciliation of silver ran
INTO snag this morning at the group
session which discussed it. Oscar T.
Crosby, who was Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury under President Wilson.
argued strongly against such a move
He declared that he personally would
not want to see the United States call
such conference, because it would
mean by Inference that this Govern
ment favored sterilization of silver. and
ne added that he would not like to see
this Government put into the position
OF guaranteeing the value of silver, such
as reconciliation would imply. Fur
thermore, Crosby said that he doubts
the feasibility of an international con-
ference-everybody is in too much of
hurry to go home"
Gold Clearance Fund.
Mr.. Crosby, who is one of the Amer.
can delegates, argued against the COL
ference pushing plan advanced bv the
Interamerican High Commission of 1911
for a convention providing for an in
ternatlonal gold clearance fund
One country has signed and ratified
this convention. four others have signed
1t, the minister of one has been in
structeo to sign 1t, one has Signified its
readiness to sign and in six others either
the government or the national section
OF the commission has indicated ap-
prevail. Mr.. Crosby said that such a
convention is needless.
In another section this morning the
convention discussed ways and means
OF increasing tourist travel in the
Americas.
Advertising Is Urged.
Elmer jenkins OF the American Au-
tomobile Association emphasized TO
the Latins the desirability of their ad-
vertising to the world. the possibilities
for tourist travel which their countries
offer
The Cuban delegation to the confer
ence has prepared a declaration which
would pledge the American countries
to encourage travel through simplifying
the legal requirements made OH tour
lists. Another feature of such an egrec-
ment would be that all the countries
take measures to guard against
abusive exploitation of visitors Swith-
in its boundaries.
The silver question is being debated
at another group session this afternoon.
At IL o'clock tomorrow President
Hoover will address the conference. as
will Gov. Roosevelt of Porto Rico