Evening star., 1938-08-29


cent for exports and 1O.9 for imports.
This shows how our proportion OF
world exports has decreased while our
percentage share of world imports has
increased to the detriment Of our do
mestic industries and to the enhance
ment Of foreign products.
The figures show that our 1886 for
eign trade position was improved less
than one-half of per cent over the
1882 level, but this Improvement was
due to the increase in imports since
our relative export condition is well
below 1882, as is also the situation
for 1897.
Powers Given President.
The Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act,
passed by rubber-stamp Congress,
gives the President power among other
things to negotiate foreign trade
treaties without the advice and con-
sent of the Senate, contrary to the
United States Constitution to raise or
lower rates of duty so per cent without
definite standards established by Con-
gress for such action; to fix the level
of rates and to grant this preferential
rate to all nations
These powers were granted to the
President for three years, but by the
language of the bill the life of the
treaties can be indefinite or for any
term the President may approve. Thus
We may be committed to a foolish,
detrimental policy in a treaty for
years to come
1t is impossible to separate the ef-
fects of the agreements already made
and of other New Deal policies, such
as price raising and restriction of pro-
duction in agriculture and industry
and fiscal and monetary policies.
Barriers Have Increased.
The agreements were supposed to
break down trade barriers. 1t is OBJ
viouS from the figures that these bar
riers have increased. while other ma
tions have improved their positions
at the expense of the United States.
This act permits the lowering of our
tariffs without reference to domestic
production costs and thereby leopard
ICES all American agriculture, labor
and industry, undermines the Amer
lean wage level and threatens our
American standard of living.
1 am for real reciprocity but I
am opposed to granting the powers of
the present act to the President with
out restriction. 1t is giving him a
blank check on the very life-blood
OF our industries and the working
men and women of the Nation The
New Deal, through free trade" trea-
ties has sent millions of good Amer
ican dollars to the worst sweatshops
in the world, while many of our own
industries are idle and millions of our
own workers walk the streets in idle
ness and want.
Changes Proposed.
I believe the first act of the next
Congress should be to provide that
tariff rates shall not be reduced below
the amount necessary to protect Amer
ican producers. We should have man.
datory public notice of commodities
under consideration 80 days in ad-
vance of the negotiation of a treaty.
We should have mandatory public
hearings before the same agency that
negotiates the treaty
We should make it illegal to i'm
port any commodity, which is pro-
duced in this country in a commercial
way. below the average American cost
OF production. 1t is brutally and
frankly true that the policy of this
administration which has been fol-
lowed has served only to worry busi-
ness-big and little-to block initiative
and stop the expansion of industry.
The Federal Prison Industries, Inc,
is corporation authorized by Congress
and created nv executive order in