Evening star., 1932-01-03
EUROPE IS BITTER
IN ECONOMIC WAR
Nations in Estate of Siege"
United Front Urged
Against u. S.
BY G. III. ARCHAMBAULT.

BY Gable to The Star.
PARIS, January Each day the
communique is issued Much activity
all along the front" For Europe Is at
war. 1t is economic war and it is being
waged very bitterly.
For the moment everybody is fighting
everybody else, but possible coalisons
are looming up, all aimed against The
United States, with the objecC either Of
reducing or suspending war debts.
There is much talk here of a Franco
British alliance with this purpose In
view.
Meanwhile, Just as in 1914, frontiers
are closed, foreigners are under suSpi
cion, people are boarding gold and VIC
tuals, there is much talk of reprisals
and of offensives, and the spirit of the
fighters is being sustained by many a
patriotic slogan.
Many Casualties Seen.
There are casualties, Of course, mostly
In the form of unemployed workers and
OF bankrupt businesses. Britain has
some 100000 men idle Germany some
5.500,000; the French official statistics
show fewer, but they are alleged to err
on the conservative side.
Capitalists are losing much on their
investments. titled women are selling in
shops, every class of society is COM
PEELED to restrict. At the very bot ON
Of the ladder, men, women and chill
dren are starving. But every one says,
I'VE must fight to finish"
Yet in their heart of hearts all Euro
peans hope that the conference ut
Lausanne, called for January 20 may
present an opportunity for the con-
clusion Of an arTnistics; for although
outwardly every one swears to fight to
a hitter yuo rHl HlXT
for truce. 1t is feared, however, that
present signs are scarcely favorable. 1t
Is suggested in divers quarters that
operations be extended to America, to
which Europe would present united
front in the matter of debts, but this
does not at this time imply a cessation
Of individual hoStilities
The parallel with 1914 holds good in
other respects Whereas in the World
War all rules Of tactics seemed nullificd, |
so today in the economic war all laws |
of supply and demand seem suspended |
None can tell what repercussions any
defensive measure may have Each |
nation is discovering that in this par
ticular kind OF warfare any action it |
takes may work TO its own detriment as
well as to that of the other side.
Duties Bring Retaliation.
tariff on cut flowers from France, |
French horticulturists find the home |
market inadequate to absorb their |
produce, even at reductions of rs per |
cent in price. So France tells Italy |
that she cannot allow cut flowers to |
be imported from the other side of the |
Alps. Italy resorts to reprisalS against !
some other French product and at the |
same time wonders what Jugoslav or !
Austrian commodity she can exclude. |
So tire struggle goes on, each step lead /
ing to another, until the countries of |
Europe appear likely to be forced TO |
subsist on what they themselves pro-
duce.
This week has seen retaliation pro-
ceedlng apace, with Great Britain plac-
ing special duties on French fruit and |
vegetables, with French bakers along |
the Belgian border objecting to the i'm
portation of bread cheaper than they |
can bake, with Switzerland excluding |
French cheeJe and with Spain insisting |
on fairer treatment of Ter exports.
At the new year France had glut |
of fruit and poultry originally intended
for the British market. This meant |
that everybody was able to afford q
New Year dinner, but that those who |
grow the fruit and raise the poultry will !
soon be bankrupt.
Buy Br1tlSh!' says the British, to |
which the French retort Buy French!" |
and the Italians BUY Italian!" Because |
Britain abandoned TIE gold standard, |
1000 Polish workers at KattoWitz had I
no Christmas dinner Some steel mills |
there were working on Russian orders, |
payment to be made in sterling.
Turkey Also i'm Race.
AS the pound fell, the Polish. concern |
denounced the contract. But German |
steel mills at Dusseldorf are working |
on Turkish orders, payment to be made !
in French francs. simultaneously
Turkey is campaigning against coffee
and tea, as they mean $4,000, 900 a year
going into foreign pockets. Turkey
does not export much, but II she bars !
coffee and tea she must expect some !
of her goods to be barred elsewhere in
retaliation.
What the end Of it all will be none
can tell today. But Is is safe to
prophesy that even the winners will
not win much. Yet It Is less than IL
months ago that glowing pictures we're |
being painted Of pan-Europe!