Evening star., 1933-04-23
MANY OBSTACLES RETARD
ANCLOU. S. AGREEMENT
British Long Have Sought Accord, but
Differences on Navies, Debts, Far East
and Other Issues Crop Up.

down to, say, a tenth of their nominal
value, without compensation, simply for
the general good and before even dis
cussing other economic problems.
2. Tariffs.
After long crying out against the
American tariff system, Great Britain
at Ottawa last year, just when it was
apparent that the American system was
likely to change, adopted a discrimin-
atory protectionist system of its own
which seems to make subsequent Anglo
American tariff discussions extremely
difficult.
g. The gold standard.
Great Britain was forced off gold de-
spite itself by the German events and
after then has been trying to persuade
the United States to get off also Finally,
1t organized the great bloc of pound
sterling countries. which, because Of
their deprecated currencies, could
undersell the United States in the
With the gradual improvement in
Great Britains situation and the spread
OF fears about imitation in the United
States, gold began to flow back toward
LONDON. To keep the pound from rising
tne British bought dollars, which there
alter they converted into gold to swell
their own gold reserve.
Monetary War Seen.
The United States. after irving
vainly for months to get Great Britain
to agree to some plan of stablization.
mas finally countered by itself going
on gold. This makes it almost impos-
slble to hold the pound to the present
levels without stabilizing.
Ihe European countries see in all
TINS the beginning of an Anglo-Ameri-
lcan monetary war, wherein not only
the two combatants, but eventually all
the rest OF the world, is likely to suffer.
4. The Far East.
There is every indication that despite
the treaties Great Britain would be
willing to see Japan keep its hold on
Manchuria and give China a lesson"
1t Is possible that Great Britain even
faVors the policy of spheres of interest
in China. which are directly contrary
to the traditional American policy Of
the open door.
Throughout the Far Eastern crisis
in the League of Nations at Geneva,
it is Great Britain which has always
taken the lead to slow up the League
in trying to keep it from acting-such.
at least, is the impression of most i'm
partial observers.
Great Britain and Russia are SEEM
ingly irreconcilable opponents in Asia.
The United States. it is being in
creasinely said, has an interest to keep
on good terms, if possible. with Russia,
at time when not Russia but japan
seems to be the principal menace to
the territorial and administrative in
tegrity of China
6. Disarmament.
Great Britain wants more and
smaller ships and guns and the United
States wants fewer and larger ones.
Great Britain is proposing that the
United States should cut its air force
down to the British level at a time
when the American Navy has been al
lowed to fall below even the treaty
levels.
Z. Peace policy.
Great Britain seemingly Is desirous
Of weakening its own engagements un-
der the League covenant or even the
Locarno treaties, and gives the impress
sion of trying to use the United States
as an excuse for arguing that hereafter
Great Britain, although European
power. will be unwilling to assume any
engagements in Europe unless the
United States takes similar RESPONSE
bilities. This attitude on Great Britains
part is believed to have been one of the
main stumbling blocks in the disarma-
ment conferences
1t is perhaps unnecessary in all of
these differences to try to say who is
right and who is wrong. It is enough
for the present that the differences ex-
ist. How they shall be reconciled Is
for President Roosevelt and Macdonald
to decide.
(Copyright. 1880