The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-20

tugal, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland,
North Africa and the Argentine
want more than dollars are goods
with which to stock the shelves OF
their own stores, goods which they
can sell to their own people. The
result Is that an old-fashioned bar
ter-an exchange Of U. s. kerosene
and gasoline for whatever the nett
trail nations may have an excess OF
Is a lot more welcome than U. B,
cash on the barrel head.
This Is the situation which agents
of tn U. s. Commercial Corporation,
doing preemptive buying all over the
World, are meeting up with, In
creasingly. This U. s. Commercial!
Corporation, q government. owned
subsidiary company operating with
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
money under State Department and
Board of Economic Warfare blessing
and directive, has as Its principal
Job the buying up Of things that
Germany also wants. But more and
more frequently now, 1t Is not the
amount Of money Germany or the
u. s. offer that decides which
country will get the goods, but what
In place of money Is offered for
exchange.
GOLD BESTS DOLLARS
Perhaps the most valuable COM
modify which the U. s. can offer Is
petroleum. The United States hasn't
any too much to spare, as you may
have heard, but Germany hasn't
any to spare and countries like
Spain and Portugal and North
Africa haven't any at all. To get
the metals and other war materials
moving to port where they can be
shipped to the United States, 1t
becomes necessary to feed few
low-grade petroleum products into
these ountries-kerogen for lamps
and stoves, gasoline to keep trucks
moving, oil to keep transportation
rolling.
But here creeps, In an element Of
danger. II more than just enough
U. 8. petroleum is exported to these
countries, some of II may leak to
Germany. Here the agents Of the
U. s. Commercial Corporation get
another important Job - keeping
track Of how U. s. petroleum sup
plies are consumed and that there
will be no re-exports TO the axis. An
important diplomatic factor in all
this Is TO fortify Spanish and Portu-
guese resolve and ability to remain
neutral - q condition just as I'M
portant to the United Nations as
1t is to the two countries them
selves.
RE-EXPORT SAFEGUARDS
All sorts Of safeguards have been
thought up ia prevent re-export.
Instead of shipping in needed drugs
like atabrine in bulks. the tablets
are packaged in doses to permit
widest possible distribution. II any
leaks to the axis, It will be only
in one or two-pill lots. There is
an overall chez. on exports right
in the United States. Before any
one can export anything, permit
must be obtained from the board
of economic warfare, and navicerts
issued to permit loading.
Another field Of operations where
disinterest in U. s. dollars has been
most anpsrent is North Africa. It
is reported obvious in even the low
est class workmen. Offer them sill
yer and they'll keep on loafing. Of
fer them c'garet, and they'll work
their heads Off.
Board of economic warfare people
will argue that just as important
as the military aspects of the North
African occupation were the eco
nomic factors-the shutting of from
the axis of all kinds of supplies
which they need In the worst pos
sihle way-iron ores. fruits, vegeta-
bic oils. wheat. wool.
The axis had bled North Africa
white, put it in rags. Everything
that was loose was exported and
nothing was sent in for exchange.
African shops had nothing to sell,
so what good was money to the
natives? The answer to that was in
part a deal whereby a Brazilian
surplus of cheap cotton cloth was
rushed to North Africa to stock up
the hazaars. 1t was far more valu-
able than money could ever be. to
get trade moving again, to start UP
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