Evening star., 1932-09-03

nnents reached by the NATIONS OF the
british Commonwealth at Ottawa.
These agreements, says the Lonoon
Times, were mostly tariffs, and If tariffs
are not discussed by the World Con
ference the hopes Of Bruce and those
expressed by Stanley Baldwin, chief OF
the British delegation, on conclusion OF
the ottawa meeting, will fail.
Then the London Times continues.
quoting the June speech OF NeVllle
Chamberlain, British chancellor OF tne
excheuuer. saying that the world eco
nonic conference must have the WloesI
terms of reference and that any con-
ference on monetary policy is indis-
solubly bound UP with reparations, war
debts. tariffs, quotas and other restric-
tions on trade.
The Lausanne Reparation Conference,
which resulted In the so-called gentle
mems agreement to wipe out repara-
tions and pass the war debt buck to
the United States, was declared Dy
Chamberlain to be only the first step.
He pointed to the fact that in the text
of the actual Lausanne convention In
viting the nations to the world economic
conference, tariffs, quotas and other
trade restrictions were clearly oerneo
on the agenda.
Perhaps the mysterious invitation
Washington apparently received to the
world conference, did not. for the sake
of politeness and because Of the ex-
pediency of the American elections,
stress these points, for the United
States refused to discuss them when
accepting the bid. But by common
consent, says the London Times, the two
most important factors preventing
world recovery are excessive tariffs and
war debts.
"And if the conference is forbidden
to discuss them" warns the London
Times, "it will be condemned in ad-
vance to failure"
Therefore. suggests the London
Times, it would be better to postpone
preparations for the World Economic
Conference until after the American
elections, when the American Govern
ment would be free to discuss these
problems without fear of internal po-
litical exigencies.
Britain's Tariff Wall Higher.
It is about time, when the United
States is being villifled the world over
as a tariff monster to point out that
at the present moment Great Britain
has both a higher and wider tariff
wall than has the United States. Even
before the Ottawa parley various tariff
walls we're hastily put up by the present
Conservative government, and worked
out on the average rate of protection
the British tariff is around II per cent.
American duties figured the same way
over all classes of goods represent an
average rate of only Is per cent.
In the United States, ranging over
all classes of goods, approximately two
thirds of the imports enter free, If
figured on the total value basis. On
the same basis only half Of Great Brit
aims imports have entered free.
And now the Ottawa compacts tax
the huge British food and raw materials
imports, which comprise well over half
the total imports into this country, and
only a negligible percentage of British
imports can enter free.
It Is not generally realized, perhaps,
that even before the conservatives be-
gan to build the recent high protection
ism, Great Britain annually received
more actual money in revenue from
tariffs than did the United States
When still spoken of as a free-trade
country, Great Britain's customs rev.
enues amounted to $500, ,000,0 900 in 1929
Great Britain's 1914 per cent motor car
tax is the highest in the world.
When the United States does talk
tariffs to the British at the world eco
nomic conference or at any other gath
ering, 1t will find the British industrial
lists Just as determined to defend their
new tariff walls as any manufacturer
in the United States.
Copyright. 1922