Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-06
Raw Material
AsWarCause
Gets Setback
Always Available in Peace
If You Have the Price
By HUGH S. JOHNSON


= Solomon could not under
stand and three million times
three million that / can't.
Among these are the argu-
ments of some of my columnist
confreres that il was lack of
peace-time access to the worlds
raw materials that caused the
war. That postwar peace de-
ponds on giving all nations
equal access to such raw mate
rails and that, among many
other things that we must do to
reconstruct the world, after we
have financed the winning OF
the war, is to insure this uni
versal access of all nations to
raw material.
When in peace time was there
any lack of access, especially to
such strategic raw materials as
copper, rubber, steel and oil? 1t
is true that tariff systems, wall
ing off world commerce into
water-tight trade compartments,
had much to DO with the dis
location of free economic inter-
course.
But these were restrictions on
imports - not on exports - and
we were one of the greatest
offenders of the lot.
TT IS true also that in some
i important commodities - at
one time or another, rubber.
tin and farm products-attempts
were made, either nationally or
internationally, TO restrict pro-
duction.
This was done in every case
to maintain high prices, and In
farm products, again we were
the worst offenders and we did
it by governmental action.
In other products, about which
the greatest howl now rises
tin, rubber, copper and some
chemicals - 1t was done by
private individuals or corpora
tons operating through cartels
and other trade agreements.
In many cases these capital
lists were British. Dutch. Ameri.
can, French and even German
Generally speaking. they held up
everybody, their own nationals
as well as the rest of the world
They were just trying 10 keeT
prices up against seasonal and
other gluts. Frequently their
efforts did their own countries
more harm than good.
Regardless of this, just how
we are going TO move in at the
conclusion of this war, assuming
complete victory, and restrain
commercial individual practice.
as old as Tyre and Sidon is some.
thing | would like TO have ex.
planned.
I'ftE truth OF the matter Is tina,
Il the fight for access to raw
materials is not for the purpose:
of peace but for those of war
Nations. including Germany
have had free peace-time acces.
TO the vast general excess of raw
materials as long as they hac
the money to pay for them.
They always will have this
access because the raw material
nations produce 10 sell and not
TO hoard. Customers are not
turned away because of the
shape OF their heads.
But, in war. all this changes
Raw material is war material
The avowed object of Britain
and of us who echo her policy is
TO dominate the seas against
any other combination of powers
whatever. That does and could
have only one object. 1t is 10
withhold strategic war materials
from any potential enemy. Would
we change that purpose?
In the light Of these which I
believe are fair statements or
even understatements of the con-
trolling facts. this stuff about
assuring equal access 10 all ma
tons to, the worlds supplies OF
raw materials seems TO be Just
a little bit more of the same
sort of ill-informed or actually
hypocritical war-sloganeering of
the present unfortunate epoch.
We are going into this war
not for any such purposes, but
for two other purposes and only
two: Cd To keep any other
nations from imposing their ideas
and systems upon the world
including us; (2) TO impose our
own instead.
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