Evening star., 1932-07-23
|0TTAWA CHECKS
i. s. TARIFF FEARS
Appointment of Thomas and
Runciman Pleasing to
American Experts.
Continued From First Page.)

at large would be taken into detailed
consideration In planning any empire
trade preference program.
The most likely discrimination Is on
Russian products. Premier Bennett in
his opening address Thursday stressed
what he termed the unfairness of state
competition.
Liverpool never has taken as much
Canadian wheat as the producers be-
lieved she should and prospects of get
ting Russia's share of the British mar
ket is alluring to the Canadians
Empire preference in the matter of
wheat is sore sport among Argentine
sympathizers here. Unlike Canada
which has large storage facilities, Ar
is harvested and British markets have
been depended on for years to absorb it.
Shipping Concerns U. S.
In still another direction, the ship
ping question, Argentina is manifesting
considerable concern, as is the United
States. Improvement in British mari
time enterprises is one Of the big fea-
lures Of the conference. Most Argen-
tine produce is transported in British
vessels, and ArgentineS do not see how
they can be Disseminated against with
out reaction from British ship owners.
To head off possible disturbance from
Argentina, trade representatives Of that
government made overtures to London
several months ago looking toward a
trade agreement, but were told to wait
until after the Ottawa conference. The
impression was that If a good bargain
could not be concluded with the domin-
ions, Great Britain might negotiate for
Argentine reciprocity.
American shippers are disturbed over
prospects Of empire nations charging
an extra tariff on goods not carried
in British vessels. Representatives Of
the Matson Line of San Francisco,
which operates between California and
New Zealand, are particularly dis
turbed by British inSistence that, be-
ing subsidized by the government, the
Matson Line occupies an unfair COM
petitive position.
Background Of bad Blood"
The conference reflects background
of bad blood" observers say, which
resulted from attempts by United States
lines to freeze the British Cunard Line
out of Summer competition in the
Caribbean by means of the fighting
ship" and voyages to nowhere" bills
in Congress
Under the fighting ship" bill foreign
ships capable of being converted into
armed vessels would have been expelled
from purely American trade lanes and
by the voyages to nowhere" bill they
would havei been kept from entering
the short-cruise business between At
lantic and Caribbean ports.
The question of empire monetary
adjustment bobbed up unoff1cially in
conference circles yesterday, but so far
as Canada is concerned 1t was said
the Government wants neither to raise
nor lower the Canadian dollars present
relation with the American dollar or
the English pound.
If, some argued. the Canadian dollar
were further lowered in value to parity
with the pound it would facilitate pur-
cnaseS of imports from Great Britain.
That would not be so good from the
American viewpoint, experts said, since
1t would reduce the value of the enor-
nous amount Of Canadian securities
held in the United States.
Canada has many commitments to
pay of in American dollars. retirement
OF which would have to be arranged
with Great Britain. II the Canadian
monetary unit were to be deprecated