Evening star., 1933-04-30


HERE never was time when az
economic conference faced mort
difficulty or was mere needed
i The urgency of the need may
I lust furnish the element neces'
sary for success.
The history OF similar conferences
| which have gone before Is certainly MOI
happy. Nations dominated by sectiona
! and selfish concerns did not discover
| the mechanisms by which the inter-
ests of each could be merged in the
i interests of all: and this Is condi-
ton of any social improvement. defln-
| ing as it does the relations of indi-
| vidual and group, CT group and nation
/ of nation end world. Now is the time
for some inventor, gifted with inge-
nuity and possessing the qualities OF
dominance and persuasion to steI
! forth; if such man exists amcng the
| statesmen, he can have Immortality
now.
The descending spiral of depression
has carried the fortunes OF the human
race downward until there seems nc
| logical stopping place short of uni
versal destitution. Our marvellous
mechanisms are not paralyzed; fear OF
the ultimate possesses all mankind. II
is still going on, this decline and panic
No one believes any more that action
on the international field by itself can
reverse this process; many do hope
| however, that its momentum may be
| checked there and that internal forces
, may so realign themselves in conse-
uuence as to provide the materials
| for recovery
Grander Strategy Likely.
1vh. efofocpro,, u-ilI bovo IN 1Yorl IN
an atmosphere of extreme exlgency
| their decisions will be watched by fear
ridden people. 1t is difficult in such
| circumstances to come at judgments
which are coldly considered. And this
Is, perhaps, Just as well. For instead
of petty horse-trading tactics, the
urgency of the situation may dictate q
grander strategy of the common pur-
| poses of mankind. The people of the
! world have, it is true, only an. inchoate
| idea of the elements of this strategy
they are likely to be intolerant CT the
| technique involved and to be insisten'
only on results. Peace and prosperity
| are the simple desiderata which de-
| mocracies cling to. But nothing less
| than the insurance of these is likely
! to bring credit to public leaders now.
Yet there is a poor tradition to work
from in achieving these results and the
| difficulties of working out from it will
be immense. The first great test will
come in this field. If each nation comes
to this meeting determined to hold
other heads under water so that 1t may
| breathe-this is the traditional way
these things are done-the possible
achievements may as we'll be discounted
| by half before a beginning has been
made But if the urgencieS OF human
! suffering have penetrated statesmen
| minds to the extent that they have
come really to understand the need fol
common defenses against the threaten.
ing political debacle, everything is pos
sible
The choice is fundamental in its i'm.
plications During the years Of the de-
preston the world has been breaking
up slowly into national economic units
Measures taken by nations individually
with the hope of protecting themselves
further restricted the exchange of goods
and thus aggravated the distress. The
world. therefore, finds itself confronted
with the alternative of sharply reversing
this trend or of carrying economic ma
tionalism to an ultimate conclusion
which would require more painful ad-
F. justments than have yet been made
The underlying dissatisfaction of the
nations of the world with the results
of economic nationalism is apparent
and SO is the general recognition that
recovery from the depression will bt
very difficult-and for many nation.
| impossible common interna-
tional action. The United States j:
| demonstrating it's understanding of this
Not only has this country gladly joined
the effort, but it has worked for widen.
ing of the agenda to include the whole
complex of problems involved. It:
further interest is being shown by the
held in Washington under the leader
ship of President Roosevelt
| America Has Opened Way.
| These are essential to success. Thi:
is best understood against the back
ground of past failures. Many ma
items with differing viewpoints and
differing problems are to be giver
the necessary opportunity to demon
strate their good faith. The way fol
this was prepared by the recon-
mendations of the preliminary meet.
ing of experts in Geneva in January
America has really opened the way
to understanding. The constitution fol
these preliminary meetings is to bt
found in the agenda document adopt
ed in Geneva:
! I'm stressing the necessity for con-
certed action. we do not wish to sug-
gest that nothing can be accomplished
before the conference meets. On the
contrary. the success of the confer
ence will depend in great measure
upon the vigor with which the partici-
! pating governments enter upon pre-.
liminary negotiations in the mean
time. The prospects Of substantial all.
around success in the necessarily COM
plex and multilateral conference discus
siors Mill be greatly enhanced IL In thl