Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-07
FARLEY TO TACKLE
WORLD TRADE ILLS
Farm Crisis Is Main Issue
Before International Cham
Der of Commerce.
BY A. r. DECKER.

BY Cable to The Star.
PARIS, France, February THE
washington congress of the Interna-
tional Chamber of Commerce will hold
its inaugural session Monday, May 4,
with speeches by President Hoover, Silas
H. Strawn of Chicago and Georges
Theunis of Belgium, president of the
chamber.
There will be a plenary session on
Tuesday, including delegates from both
the United States and Europe, with an
address on the evolution Of trade COM
petition since 1900 and the. resistance
of various economic structures to eco
nomic crisis.
Wednesday and Thursday will see a
continuation of the full congress, dis
cussing the bearing on costs of produc-
ton. Of mass production, Repatriation
of employment, distribution, psychology
ical factors and agricultural conditions.
New commercial policies will be dis
cussed Friday, as well as the principles
Of the international chamber, tariff
policies, INSTRUMENTATION treatment,
marks of origin, double taxation and
air transportation. Saturday morning
will be devoted to commercial arbitra-
ton and telephone and mail communi-
cations. Wednesday afternoon there will
be trip to Mount Vernon.
Farm Crisis Main Problem.
Behind the above academic program
is the effort of the worlds business
leaders to cooperate in finding way
out of the present world crisis. The
main problem which the Washington
congress will have to confront Is the
farm crisis
Wheat seems to be the crux of the
farm problem, so the wheat-producing
states of Central and Southeastern
Europe have combined to find markets.
These countries are bargaining with
the European industrial countries to
exchange wheat for manufactured
products. What the farm countries
wish is loan.
France is taking the lead in CO.
operating with the agricultural coun-
tries. One scheme is for European
union, another is for a customs union;
but what is really being developed Is a
system of bilateral agreements and
evasion of the Observation-Disclosures
clause to the detriment Of non-European
countries.
Europe is divided not only into camps
of farm countries and manufacturing
countries; there is also a division be-
tween protectionist and free trade
countries.
Loan Discussed In Geneva. .
In Geneva a $10O,O00,000 loan was
discussed for granting>rolling credits to
the Central and Southeastern Euro
pean farm countries. This loan would
be divided among mortgage banks and
would be guaranteed by the govern
ments. The French are considering Of
fering a loan of $40,000,000 to Rumapia
and other loans to Poland and Jugo-
slavia. This Is in line with the Paris
meetings of the European Union Com
mitteeS this month to discuss, first, how
to dispose of the 1880 wheat surplus
and, second, what to arrange for future
crops.
French governments guaranty for loans
to political allies, and this guaranty
would meet the opposition OF French
farmers in the coming elections. 1t IS
possible also that some European states
might receive loans from American or
British banks, which would alter the
situation.
Nearly all the Central and South
eastern European states are beginning
negotiations for commercial treaties.
Perhaps the washington Congress can
suggest way out of this postwar trade
rivalry, which so far has not produced
bad blood between the nations, but 1t
would be folly to ignore the danger.
especially as the Russian manner OF
entering markets is bringing about
feeling of panic.
(Copyright, 1917