Imperial Valley press., 1940-02-15
Bobson Defends
Trade Pdcts as
Employment Aids

QUOTAS, Darlcr metnOdS. Dig SuD-
sides. and similar barriers we're
rapidly clearing the world trade
routes Of their picturesque tankers,
freighters. and other cargo boats.
Most able economists agreed that
the choking Of Of foreign commerce
was a prime cause of jobless1iess,
hunger and suffering IN all ma
tions.
The Importance Of world trade
has never been fully realized by
most people Foreign commerce Is
the keystone Of world prosperity
and peace. Our overseas markets
in good times absorbed only 10 per
cent Of our total output: but that
10 per cent was vital 10 per cent.
Half of our cotton crop for in
stance. was sold abroad. Think Of
the importance OF cotton to U. S,
prosperity. Southern banks. land
values, jobs, wages, warehouses, rail-
roads, shippers, are all tied up with
tie price Of cotton. And the price
Of cotton depends Oh Our foreign
markets
TOUGH ASSIGNMENT
1t seems impossible. however to
get the importance of foreign
trade across to the public. The
EighItariff opposition has far
easter job. Inevitably, in any tar
iff-lowering program, some localities
or some producers feel they will be
hurt. They protest violently to
their Congressman. Therefore. 1t is
almost impossible to wangle any
real tariff reductions through Con-
gress. Secretary Hull "a former
Senator) knew the only way to
over tariffs and increase employ
ment as a whole would be a re-
duction program which excused
constituent conscious Congressmer
from voting to ratify IT, Hence,
the State Departments trade pro-
gram came into being.
Over twenty Reciprocal Trade
Agreements have been negotiated
since 1884. Secretary Hull and his
experts have done painstaking
conscientious Job. They have start
ed to do the Job with practical
God-fearing people admit must be
done,-a SLOW and gradual. rather
than sharp ana sudden, decrease
of tariff walls. They have held
hundreds of hearings, have listened
patiently 70 thousands Of protests.
For every concession they have
mad" 10 foreign nations, they have
'wrupa from them an equally euot
one !or ,'ncin SaB. Moreover. i,!,
to the so-calle0 most favored nation
rule" these PactS ilavc lowered tar
ifs. helped buSincc;. H.F,n job
al, over the WoylG.
nKyGnT Spnr o. MN DIu
'Fnc rcciprocl! trdQe prJ5raiG .ip"
j II tc'ly 'Og. III not .. ~
NcN Deal. IN his Ql4tN but firl'.
way, SecYctar! HUI las fought
harder for peace in this decade
than any Other man alive. He is n
tower OF strength, vision, and un-
sclfishncss. HIS program has in
! creased our exports to countries
with whom we have completed
rsoiSNHAiho W W ICi NCilAJ NilAV
our exports to those countries With
which We have not bargained have
| eXparled less than 40 per cent,
Moreover. our imports from treaty
nations have not increased any
faster tnan with non-treaty nations.
This, in a nutshell, tells the ef-
fectivencss Of the program, its aid
70 Jobs and industry
America, however, is high-price,
high-wasc, high-tax nation. Need
less to say. high tariff people do
not like Secretary Hull's program.
Buy American" has plenty Of po-
litical "oomph". The COP needs
campaign ammunition and they will
make the most of decrying these
trade pactS. They claim, for in
stance, that the program permits
an excessive influx of farm prod
uctS-$80O, 900, 900 worth in 1899.
But Secretary Hull points out that
$500, 0,000. 900 of this was coffee. rub
ber, silk. cocoa. bananas, which
have always been admitted duty
frecl
IMPREGNABLE POSITION
The State Department is prepared
to defend its policies at all costs.
The Republican heavy artillery is
laying down the battles opening
barrage. What the outcome will be,
no one knows. The New Deals
record Is full Of broken promises
end failures. For this reason, it
seems like poor strategy for the
Republican shock troops to assault
the one position on which the New
Deal Is economically impregnable-
its foreign trade poncyl AS a
statistician. believe that the Hull
Trade Poets should be backed to
the limit by every straight-thinking,
IlNSe)fjSb and honest An,erIropi