Evening star., 1943-04-13

NVIV JV1IVJ VCIIQIC %
| Compromise to Induce
Republican Support for
Program Is Reported
BY the Associated Press.
Secretary of Commerce Jones
urged the House Ways and Means
Committee today to approve re-.
neWal of reciprocal trade agree
ments with 27 nations as a DEM
onstration that this Government
intends to restore private inter-
ests to major role in foreign
trade when the war ends.
Failure to extend the authority
under which they are negotiated
might naturally be construed by
business as an indication that pri-
vate enterprise will not be expected
to play a major role in postwar for
eign trade" Mr.. Jones told the COM
mittee, which resumed hearings amid
reports that a compromise is being
sought to line up Republican support
for the administrations program.
Secretary of State Hull touched on
the same subject briefly at his ap-
pearance before the opening session
| of the committee yesterday when he
| emphasized that Government con-
duct of foreign trade in peacetime is
pure RECOMMENDATION"
Meanwhile, the United States
Chamber of Commences Committee
on Foreign Commerce Endorsed ex-
| tension Of the Reciprocal Trade
Agreement Act. A proposal to ap-
prove the act will be submitted at the
annual meeting of the chamber April
q in New York.
Gives Trade Figures.
II believe the trade agreements
have been successful in accomplish
ing their main objective-eXpansion
of our foreign trade" Secretary
Jones told the House committee.
He said United States foreign
trade dipped to a low of $2,934 ,000,-
| 900 in 1882 and rose to IS ,495 900 900
by 1889. The trade program con-
ceived by Mr.. Hull, allowing the ad-
! miniStration to lower tariffs on a
| reciprocal basis, was instituted In
1884.
Immediately thereafter, exports
increased, Mr.. Jones said, to the ex-
tent of So per cent with trade
agreement countries from 1884 to
1889 and 80 per cent with mon
agreement countries" Imports over
the same period with agreement
nations rose to % per cent COM
pared with II per cent with non-
agreement countries, he added.
The war years show even great
er proportionate gains in our ex-
ports to agreement countries" Mr.
Jones said without disclosing the
figures.
These facts prove to me that the
trade agreements build trade and
that is what we want to do, not only
in our own interest but in the in
terest of other countries with which
We must live in peace"
Chamber Indoses Pacts.
In its report made public today,
the Chamber of Commerce Commit
tee strongly indorsed the trade
agreement principle.
In the opinion of your commit
tee the trade agreements policy has
been beneficial to the United States
and has come to be regarded
throughout the world as the symbol
of the desire on the part of our
Nation to build a world economy
based on fairer treatment of corn-
merce and thus help eliminate eco
nomic causes that might disturb in
ternational relations the report
stated.
The committee recommended that
adequate safeguards, such as, legis-
lative provisions for ample Fpublic
notice and open hearings" be writ
ten into the act. 1t also proposed
the inclusion of clauses providing
for lin the case of unforeseen de-
velopments, the modification or
withdrawal of concessions in order
to prevent serious injury to domes-
tic producers"
Our Governments traditional
policy Of insisting upon equality of
treatment with other nations in
foreign countries should be main
tained," the committee held.
Rockefeller Praises Treaties.
Nelson Rockefeller, co-ordinator of
inter-American affairs, told the COM
mittee that the treaties form "a
solid basis for confidence in our
friendship" that was responsible for
lining up South American republics
on the side of the United Nations
against the AIS.
Republicans on the committee, by
their questioning of Mr.. Jones and
Mr.. Rockefeller, and of Mr.. Hull yes
terday, showed a tendency to find
fault with the results of the trade
program.
At one point Representative Reed,
Republican, of New York described
as plain bunk" the contention that
trading with other countries created
friendly relations"
Mr.. Reed declared that the United
States shipped great quantities of
potential war material to Germany
and Japan land now, instead of
friendly relations, our boys in the
fox holes are getting it back, in the
neck"
Cites Axis Propaganda.
Mr.. Rockefeller said the Berlin
radio has sent out programs "advis-
ing us to stop lease-lend and to for
get about the Trade Agreements Act
as being unimportant"
"Whatever else may be said about
Berlin,s propaganda, it doesn't waste
its time on things which Hitler and
Goebbels think are unimportant,"
Mr. Rockefeller said.
In addition, he declared, the South
American sphere of trade is to-day
our most important, in many cases
our only, source of supply for a
large part of the critical materials
necessary to TIP war effort
Mr.. Hulls appearance yesterday
was enlivened by a tiff with Repre-
reSpntatiVe Gearhart PenI1hlico, of