Evening star., 1933-03-23
FREE HAND SOUGHT
/ TO LOWER .TAR|FFS|
President Wants Agreement
With Nations to Provide
Market for Surplus.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

wal NCt IVI Sui D1uos
By CONSTANTINE BROWN,
Debts, reparations and disarmament
are considered comparatively minor SUBJ
jects by this administration which be-
heves that most, II not all the present
ills the world Is suffering from could be
cured II the clogged wheels Of the eco
nomic machinery can be set In motion
again.
Economic recovery by the breaking
down Of tariff barriers will be the most
important contribution Of President
Roosevelt and Secretary Corden Hull in
the field of international affairs.
The President will seek from the pres
hand to open the gates Of the United
States to foreign products, in return,
naturally, for similar adequate compen-
sations from individual foreign countries.
The Department of State and the
other departments dealing with the
questions of tariffs have been working
ever since the coming into office OF
President Roosevelt at a comprehensive
study of the entire tariff question, try
ing to find out what special agreements
could be reached with countries which
may absorb portion Of Americas
overproduction. In the meantime q
comprehensive analysis is being made
as to what foreign products this coun-
try would take from abroad without
impairing the national welfare Of the
United States.
Legislation to Be Pressed.
It is hoped in official quarters that
this new legislation giving the Presi-
dent free hand to negotiate and
enforce new reciprocal tariffs-an en-
tfely new departure from the tariff
policy pursued by this country since
1909 when provisions for reciprocity
were abolished-will be accepted by the
Congress. The President intends to
press this legislation as soon as the
emergency measures encompassed in
his program have been enacted.
With such new powers in his hands,
Mr.. Roosevelt would be in a position to
negotiate with any individual nation
which may think it worth while to offer
adequate compensations to the United
States in exchange for certain tariff
advantages for the importation Of their
products into this country.
On the other hand, while Ambassador
Norman Davis IS reported to have been
instructed b. the President to help with
good advice the European nations which
intend to straighten out the present
political imbroglio in Europe. Davis
main mission Is to prepare and hasten,
If possible. the reunion Of the Interna-
national Economic Conference. It Is
reliably reported that the new am
bassador at large will try to have the
date Of that conference moved forward
and will endeavor to get the other ma
tions to meet in May instead Of July
this year.
It is also reliably reported that some
Of the principal European nations,
especially Great Britain, would like to
meet In Washington instead Of London.
Think Large Number viii Help.
No less than 50 nations are expected
to gather at that important parley. As
rule such a large gathering Is likely
this particular case 1t Is believed in high
administration circles that the large
number of nations will help q successful
The principal world powers are, for
the time being, more politically than
economically minded. They still con-
slider that no good could come out of
the present economic conference unless
the political problems are out of the
way. This point Of view Is not shared
by the administration. The present
political troubles, it is believed, are due
principally to the restlessness in every
country, and this Is the result of bad
economic conditions.
Scores of millions of people are either
unemployed or hungry, and in their
desperation they are prepared to back
any foolish move on the part of their
governments, provided they can eat.
Revolutions and wars are threatening
the world only because the economic
situation has been allowed to decay to
| such an extent that there can be no
| hope Of salvation except by violence Of
| one kind or another.
The major world nations, unable or
| unwilling to cope with the economic
side Of the question, have caused the
present violent frame of mind in Eu-
rope and Asia. But there are smaller
nations which see in the present rest
lessness their inevitable doom, and it is
these nations which are likely to sup
port to the limit the American point
Of view: Let the wheels of world trade
move again, and the other questions will
take care Of themselves If we all show
the will to take care Of them"
Press Debt Cancellation.
The nations which owe debts to the
United States are still maintaining that
there can be no economic recovery
unless these debts are Cancelled. The
administration does not fully share
this point Of view, although 1t admits
that the gold transfers are to q Ger
tain extent handicapping world recov-
cry. But on the whole this question
Of debt revision Is not Of an over
whelming importance If new economic
agreements can be reached. Once this
Is done it Is more than probable that
some modus vivendi could be arranged
to reconcile the point Of view Of the
debtor nations with that Of the Amer
ican people.
The same political philosophy is ap-
Piled to the disarmament problem. II
people can be put back to work, If ma
tions begin to be prosperous again, It
IS the people themselves who will COM
pei their governments to apply all their
energies to improving trade and busi-
ness and the petty quarrels over equality
in arms, parity in navies, exact propor-
ton In the distribution Of military air
planes each country should have will
no longer catch popular imagination.
Nations trading with each other will
be forced to base their foreign policies
on good will and the reduction Of arms
question will take care Of itself, with
out conferences, which heretofore have
caused more Ill feeling than positive
results.