Evening star., 1943-11-14
Complex Problems Are Studied

the Bradford industry to Australia:
Plant, labor, finance, instead of taking
Australian wool around the world for
processing into cloth in Bradford?"
These Australians must have added in
suit to injury, because they continued:
The Bradford worker would enjoy
wider, richer and freer life in Australia !"
skes added the idea is indicative of
q trend"
The trend, If it's widespread in nom
manufacturing countries, could be car
ried in surprising directions. Why, for
instance. should tin be brought half way
around the world to be rolled into cups
and pie plates. Why shouldn't the fab
ricating be done in the Dutch indies,
India, Burma?
U. S.-Owned Factories.
And think OF the loss to English in
come If large industry moved Donw
Under: Losses to English brokers, bank
ers. port authorities, truckers. How
would We like to move Cleveland's coat
and suit industry to Australia where the
sheep are raised? How would Cleve-
lapders like it?
The fate of American-owned factories
in the war zones is bound to cause an
other conference whirlpool of argument
when the time comes to rebuild Europe
The National Foreign Trade Council
in convention invited attention to the
practical necessity for the restoration Of,
and compensation for, property of Amer
ican concerns and individuals which has
been taken over or destroyed during the
war" The council asks for restoration,
substitution or full compensation from
the enemy"
That's pretty much what the Allies
demanded, Of Germany last time This
time the enemy" is Germany and Japan,
and would it include Italy up to the time
of her switch? -
There will be some plants unharmed,
which fell into German hands through
their phoney money deals. The return
Of those to American corporations should
be more or less simple. But corpora
ton counsel here, who will have to work
on the problem, points out that Germany
can claim the purchase" was legal
because she used her illegal" money,
which, however, is worthless. -.
Want Legal Basis.
The expressed desire of both the For
eign Trade Council and the United
States Chamber Of Commerce is to keep
our postwar dealings on legal basis
in order to strengthen world law, and
therefore, world security for trade. But
how argue our way out Of this phoney
legality Of Germany's?
Then take a destroyed plant: Say a
power plant in Germany Original cost
81, ,0o0, COO. -7.t ~ s.; "a ~.
The aim will be to get Germany work
ing again so she can support herself.
She'll have to rebuild all her major cities.
What's the cost Of a city,? A billion?
She'll have to import much Of the mate
rial that goes into those cities. The cost
will run into many billions. What will
she make, to sell abroad, to foot the
bill? What will she make to foot the
much bigger bill for reconstruction Of
all the property her armies have de-
stroyed, not only American, but in all
the rest Of Europe? She will ind much
less sympathy this time than last. But
4. how will she do it?
It's been suggested here that Ameri-
can corporations will accept buildings
reconstructed by enemy labor and at
enemy cost, rather than cash payments.
That might be more possible. The prin-
ciple will certainly form one Of the
knottiest postwar problems.
Here's completely homely trade scrap
between friends-which cuts straight
across the lines Of freer trade for tomor-
row-the timed hams Poland used to
sell here -
Stefan de Ropp, Polish trade ecoao-
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