The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-11-03
GRIM WAR FOR
TRADE CONTROL
FACING WORLD
Britain Regarded Sure to
Erect High Tariff Wall
as Retaliation.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
Scripps-Howard Foreign Editor

WASHINGTON, Nov. IA
knockdown, dragout fight for world
trade, accompanied by an equally
grim tariff war, today seemed i'm
minent as the victorious, commerce
hungry tories Of Britain girded
themselves for the fray.
Their first major move in the bat
tie likely will be TO pick up the
provocative high tariff gauntlet
thrown down by Uncle Sam and
r%etaliate with high, if not prohibi-
tive, duties On all imports, includ-
ing foodstuffs and raw materials.
The second big move, 1t is pre-
dicted, will be the calling Of a Brit
ish economic conference for the
purpose of raising a tariff wall
around the whole empire within
which would operate a system tend
ing to bar American and other for
eign commodities while encouraging
empire production.
Onc-FOurth of Globe
The British empire boasts almost
one-fourth the land surface Of the
globe and nearly a fourth Of its
total population. 1t ranges clear
around the planet and from the
Arctic to the Antarctic. Within it
can be found every conceivable
thing of use to man.
Today, Great Britain, the parent
country, faces the greatest crisis
of her existence. AS her present
masters see it, her n hope of
emerging from her present plight,
with at least some semblance OF
her ancient greatness, lies in bind
ing that empire together again,
not politically, but by the ties of
economics and commerce.
Canadian wheat, for example, as
far as possible eventually should
shut out wheat from America, Ar
gentina and Russia, they believe. In
return, Canada would give prefer
ence to certain British products in
stead Of buying them, say, from the
United States.
Duty on Cotton
Similarly, by imposing a duty on
cotton, it is held, cotton-raising
would be promoted in Egypt and
India so that less and less Of the
staple would have to be imported
from this country. And so on.
Normally, approximately two
fifthS of our total foreign trade is
with the Empire of Great Britain.
The United States alone has been
taking nearly a billion dollars worth
of our products annually, while
Canada has been buying about as
much. Now, the empire is plan
ming to give high tariff countries
a taste of their own medicine by
shutting them out.
The last obstacle in the way OF
an empire tariff wall appears to
have been removed by Tuesdays
landslide. The one big issue at
last years imperial conference at
London was the economic hook-up
between the various members of the
British commonwealth.
Proposed by Premier
Premier Bennett of Canada pro-
posed a tariff barrier against out
siders with trade preference for
those within.
Spokesman from other dominions
readily fell in line. Ireland, New
Zealand, Australia and South Africa
all approved, but England upset the
plan.
Economists in this country and
abroad insist, almost as a unit, that
tariff walls must be lowered to
stimulate trade and lift the world
depression. Yet the reverse seems
to be taking place. On top of the
race for ornaments, a race for
economic advantage seems to be on,
with governments maneuvering
tariffs as once they unanswered
armies, in dangerous e~ntentes and
alliances.