Evening star., 1940-02-26

I shall refrain at this stage from
going into details on that score. NY
associates and / will be glad to Yur-
nish you with the fullest data.
Points to Agricultural
Markets Expanded.
In the agreements which have
been negotiated, important foreign
markets have been kept open or
expanded for our producers Of lard
and other hog products, cotton, to.
bacco, wheat and other grains and
grains products. fresh, canned and
dried fruits and vegetables and
others. Surely. these producers
would not be helped-on the con-
trary. they would be grievously in
jured-if they were to be deprived
Of these advantages.
Abandonment Of the program
would be hurtful to them in several
very important ways. First, it
would lose for us the additional lev
erage which the agreements now
give us in defending the interests
OF our exports in connection with
the trade dislocations and distor-
tions growing out of war conditions.
Second, 1t would sacrifice the imme-
diate and uninterrupted export BEN
efits we are obtaining in markets
not seriously disturbed by the war
situation. Finally, it would involve
sacrifice of the many ultimate ad-
vantages that the concessions would
give to us in re-expanding our ship
ments to war-disturbed markets
when hostilities cease.
In the trade agreements we have
made some limited reductions in
duties on certain products. So care
fully have these adjustments been
made and 80 painstakingly have
they been safeguarded wherever
need for safeguards was demon
strated that these duty reductions
have not inflicted any injury on any
group OF producers. No satisfac-
tory evidence to the contrary has
been brought forward-for the SIM
pie reason that no injury to our
producers has, in fact, occurred. On
the contrary, there is ample EVIL
dence to show that these very pro-
ducers would be hurt, not by the
continuation, but by the abandon
ment of the program.
These producers, as all producers,
are vitally concerned with the state
OF our domestic market. They can
sell their output at remunerative
prices only when the purchasing
power of our people is at q suf1ici-
emily high level. But our national
purchasing power and. therefore, the
state OF our domestic market are
vitally dependent upon the condition
Of our foreign trade.
Secretary Cites Figures
On Dairy and Cattle Industry.
In the course of our negotiations
with other countries, we find, on oc-
casion, that moderate and adequate
ly safe-guarded reductions of duties
on some commodities are sufficiently
attractive to other countries to en-
able them, In return, to make valu-
able concessions for our exports.
and thus help us to expand our do
mestic market. Let me refer again,
as good Illustration of this, to the
assertions Of alleged injury which
have been heard In connection with
the moderate and carefully safe
guarded duty adjustments on some
dairy and cattle products.
Look at these facts: The cash in
come Of the dairy industry, which
had fallen, between 1929 and 1882,
from 1884 ,000,0 900 to 1901, 900 900,
rose, BY 1888. to $1,3e4D00, ,eoo.s The
cash income Of the &xttie an0ustry,
which had fallen from 81 ,495 900 600
in 1929 to $621 900 900 in 1882, rose,
by 1898, to 81, ia ,000, 900. The prices
OF dairy and cattle products have
gone up substantially in recent years.
Surely, our dairy and cattle pro-
ducers would not be helped If we
were to restore to the Hawley-
smoot levels the few duties that
have been reduced, and, in doing so,
wipe out the concessions secured for
our exports. Surely, these producers
would be among those most hurt
BY the resulting painful contrac-
ton Of the domestic market. Surely,
they have not so soon forgotten their
experience from 1929 to 1892.
Would our manufacturing indus
tries be helped or hurt by abandon
ment or impairment of the trade
agreements program?
The problem in this field is fun
damentally the same as that with
respect to agriculture. This coun.
try is the worlds largest exporter
Of manufactured goods. In the
trade agreements already concluded,
important foreign markets have
been kept open or enlarged for the
producers Of automobiles and trucks.
tractors, agricultural, industrial and
electrical machinery; cash registers,
typewriters and various ONCE ap-
pliances, rubber tires and other
products, cotton and other textile
products. lumber, wood manufac-
lures and paper products: hides and
leather products, petroleum prod
ucts, glass and glass products, iron
and steel products. copper and cop
per manufactures and many others.
Producers' Interests Abroad
Are Defended, He Says.
Surely, these producers would not
be helped II they were to be de-
prived Of the valuable advantages
which have been secured for them.
Surely, they would not be helped
II we were now to give up the means
provided by the trade agreements
for defending their interests abroad.
Nor would the industries with re-
spect to whose products duty reduce
tions have been made In the trade
agreements profit by the abandon
ment Of the program. They might
derive short-sighted satisfaction
from seeing duties on their prod
ucts restored to the Hawley -Smoot
levels, but they would pay for this
doubtful satisfaction with a decline
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