Evening star., 1933-05-21
LATINS' ECONOMIC TALKS
HERE EVIDENCE NEW DEAL
Two Positive Results Expected From
Conversations of South American
Diplomats and Roosevelt.

trophic decline in inter- American trade.
Yet, the delegates to the Pan-Anerican .
Conference knew that the Government
which had invited them to Washington
was traditional advocate of that high
tariff systematic one responsible for
it-and they knew the rules of hos
pitality.
The picture has certainly changed,
when today the Secretary of State him.
self is quoted as indicating the willing
ness of the United States to re-examine
any commercial policies or methods Of
its own which foreign countries might
consider unfairly restrictive of trade"
Secretary Hull is further represented
all sections of American tariff laws
| that might be considered unduly preju-
dicial"
This announcement, coming on the
eve of the World Economic Conference
and in the midst of the White House
| conversations with foreign representa-
| tives, is highly significant. Coming from
Mr.. Hull lifelong advocate of low
tariffs and sane and realistic inter-
/ national cooperation in economic re-
| lationships,' it should surprise no one.
He is only repeating the views he has
held and defended for years in Con-
gress, though this time he is repeating
them in an official capacity. And that
indicates the magnitude of the change
Change Not Personal.
| 1t is not in the personal views of any
one man that the change has taken
place. It is in the economic philosophy
of the Government of the United States
where the change lies. The presence of
statesman of Mr.. Hulps school Of
| iy1f lriv ,f =;
net is only one more evidence of that.
change
Secretary of Commerce Roper Is
equally outspoken in his condemnation
OF past high-tariff policies He says:
In spite of our efforts to deceive our
selves during the recent years, 1t is
fundamental that We cannot sell goods
to other nations without permitting
them to sell goods to us. There Is no
consistency in policy under which our
Government concentrates its trade-pro-
motive efforts on the exports Of Ameri-
can goooS while placing every possible
obstacle in the way of the imports that
are necessary if our foreign customers
are to be able to pay for our goods and
thereby meet their obligations to u.s."
In the meantime the President of
the United States is endeavoring to
obtain from Congress authorization to
alter existing tariff rates by Execu-
tive proclamation" power to negotiate
multilateral commercial treaties at the
World Conference, and authority to
make bilateral trade agreements on the
basis of reciprocity Also due to his
| efforts. preliminary tariff truce until
the meeting of the London Conference
has already been agreed upon by the
largest nations.
Explicit in Address.
As for the specific field of inter-
American trade, President Roosevelt
could not have been more explicit in
his Pan-American day address when
he declared it to be of vital importance
that the governments of the Western
Hemisphere take, without further de-
lay, such action as may be possible
TO abolish all unnecessary and arti-
f1cial barriers and restrictions which
now hamper the healthy flow of trade
between the peoples of the American
republics"
1t is true that it has taken a great
deal to bring about this change con-
tinent-wide denunciation of high tariffs,
the formal protests Of many govern
ments, the popular resentment created
in some countries, phenomenal de-
cline In inter-American trade to the
figures of nearly 25 years ago and last,
but not least, the reputation of the
economic policies Of past adninistra-
tions by the electorate of the United
States in an overwhelming and un-
precedented manner
But the change is here. The "new
era" is with US. The new deal' of
President Roosevelt is being extended
beyond the borders of the United
States in a most eloquent way. Stu
dents of inter-American relations will
recall that it was precisely upon the
basis of economic understanding and
commercial reciprocity, which the
! Roosevelt administration is now seek,
! ing, that the present pan-American
movement was launched nearly half a
century ago.
| If the new deal' is going to bring
back into play those almost forgotten
ideals, it will have done more for the
| success of pan-Americanism than all
the meek efforts for political rap
prochement attempted in the past and
more than all the meaningless recon-
mendations" of one pan-American con-
ference after another.
Copyright, 1880