Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-14
.UNW|ELDY SURPLUS.
IS DRAG ON TRADE
Business World Cooperating
in Effort to Cut Down
0versuppIies.

Evidence that the business world
is cooperating through international
agreements to deal with the unwieldy
surplus now existing in some important
commodities is cited in a report made
public here by the American section
OF the International Chamber of Com
MERGE
The report, prepared by H. G. Mac
Lean, American representative at the
Paris headquarters of the interna-
tional chamber, enumerateS a number
OF international cooperative efforts
that have recently been entered into
edented excess stocks from the path
of trade recovery These include agree
ments among the world cane and beet
sugar producers in Amsterdam Brus-
sells and Paris: London negotiations
among the coal export competitors of
Great Britain, Germany and Poland;
Paris agreements of European steel
producers, and a score of other inter
national meetings Of large and small
industries, varying from Arctic whaling
companies to South African diamond
producers.
Sales Promotion Effort.
International action, Mr.. MacLean
reports, is even being extended to sales
promotion effort and the opening up
of new markets for particular products.
I'm some of the hardest hit, as well
as in some of the. most prosperous
industries" he points out. constructive
sales campaigns are bringing new mar
kets to coffee, rubber, non-ferrous
metals, steel, chemicals. paper pulp, &C.
ment, cotton and many other products.
Even the apparently restricted posi-
bilitieS of the diamond market have
been explored and new sales methods
discovered for the alluvial diamonds Of
Namaqualand.
"One of the most striking aspects of
the present trade situation is that COM
mon problems have brought together
business interests which were formerly
effectually separated by political from
tiers In the Balkans, former enemy
states are cordially cooperating in
common marketing plans which may in
the present year be applied to tobacco,
grains and other Balkan products here
tofore sold on a competitive basis. Uni
form grading standards for certain Bal
kan farm products and cooperative
methods of financing, which urgently
require farm credits, are also the sub
ject of inter-Balkan discussion.
German and Polish coal producers
have at last agreed upon the division of
Central European coal markets. Poland
| and Soviet Russia, political contrasts
monthly shipments of $4,000 tons of
Polish Silesian steel to Russia, which
brings relief to this hard-pressed Polish
| industry.
"One dominant conclusion" he says
'energeS clearly from any survey Of
present conditions. Business must find
how to distribute more widely and Ell
GENTLY the rapidly increasing volume of
wealth produced. 1t must discover new
methods of enjoying the benefits of
present veritable revolutions in produc-
ton costs of old industries and in the
rapid growth Of new ones, without the
present menace Of disastrous conse-
! quencss.
International Problems.
Current world underconsumption and
unprecedented stock of commodities
everywhere, the catastrophe unemploy-
ment of millions of men, and the de-
probation of billions of dollars of capt.
tai invested in enterprises are interna-
tional problems, susceptible of solution.
which are engaging the earnest attsn-
ton of leading business men of the
world At the first general interna-
tional economic conference, to be held
in the United States this Spring by the
International Chamber of Commerce,
an endeavor will be made to offer con-