Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-03

association Of commerce be formed. At
Paris the following year the constitu-
ton Of the International Chamber Of
Commerce was approved.
Five countries constituted the original
membership. Forty-one more have since
', been added. Nine hundred and fifty
nine commercial and trade organiza-
tons are members Of the International
Chamber. They represent an under
lying membership Of more than i, 500 900
business men throughout the world. To
date five general congresses have been
held.
Benefits Are Discovered.
Our business leaders discovered the
benefits they derived when they at
tended the previous sessions of the
chamber. They learned, for example,
that +. o. b. means one thing in the
United States and may mean different
things in other countries; that to make
a contract In any country other than
their own without learning its trade
terms, laws and customs might spell
disaster. They learned that many in
dustries are afraid to exhibit at inter-
national or world fairs because their
designs may be copied or their inven-
tions stolen through lack of patent and
similar protection. They learned how
irksome 1t may be to cross international
boundaries, how high consular fees in
connection with shipments may be,
what difficulties there are with bills OF
lading covering shipments across boun-
Diary lines. Such conditions as these
may not worry Mr.. Average Man or
Mrs Average Woman, yet anything that
unnecessarily interfereS with trade be-
tween nations affects the welfare Of
every one.
do not wish to be understood as
saying that there are no legitimate
trade barriers, such as tariffs. Yet In
the meetings Of the chamber we have
those barriers which were and are q
serious menace to world trade.
These are some of the things that
will be discussed In the meetings OF the
International Chamber of Commerce.
The business brains and enterprise of
the world are meeting to discuss those
things which affect the jobs and pay
and happiness of hundreds of millions
Of people in every quarter of the globe.
1t is a new and better spirit of bust
ness which thus brings together the
industrial leaders Of nearly so countries.
The whole world has been-and, re-
gret to say still Is to q degree, at least
in the trough of a great business de-
preston which has resulted in vast
amount or human misery. IL Is general
ly thought that the principal cause Of
| the present worldwide condition Is
overproduction or underconsumption,
as you prefer. Yet 1t Is argued that in
the final analysis there can be no
overproduction when there are millions
of people in the world dying of starva-
ton, people who are in dire need OF
food, clothing, housing and everything
that goes to make for their very ex-
istence, to say nothing Of their peace
and happiness.
Conditions In Many States.
This condition is not confined to the
less fortunate countries but, as you
know, due to the depression and the
unprecedented drought, hunger and
want prevail In many of our own
States. 1t is asserted that 1t is more
accurate to say that the reason why
the whole economic world Is depressed
is because production Is not properly
synchronized with consumption. In
other words, the machine Is out of
order.
The situation Is anomalous. Although
there is plenty of food, plenty of raw
material, plenty of capital. a super
abundance of labor and of productive
capacity, yet never before, In my time,
at least, has there been so much I'M