Evening star., 1950-03-24
A Prod That Can Help

Paul G. Hoffman, administrator Of the
Marshall Plan, now has at least the paper sup
port of important business groups abroad IN
his good fight to promote the economic integra-
ton of Western Europe
The support has come in the form OF
policy statement issued jointly by the delegations
of eight key members of the Commission on
European Affairs, which is part of the Inter-
national Chamber OF Commerce. AS repre-
sentatives of private business in Belgium, Den
mark France French Africa, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands and Britain, the delegations
have placed themselves solidly behind Mr.. Hoff-
mans hard driving missionary effort to persuade
the countries of the Marshall Plan to work to-
gether without delay on concrete measures
designed to eliminate what he has called their
"chokeweeds of high tariffs, cartels and import
and exchange controls"
Thus, the ICC group has come out strongly
in favor OF two of the most important of Mr..
Hoffman's projects-U the establishment OF a
European Payments Union and CD the complete
abolition of quotas in inter European trade. AS
the policy statement has put it, the payments
union (whose wisdom, incidentally, is doubted
by some American and United Nations ex-
perts) is absolutely essential to make the cur
rencies of Europe once again freely convertible
and to lay the groundwork for unfettered multi
lateral commerce. AS for quotas, until they are
done away with, there can be no such commerce,
and it will be idle to talk about positive economic
integration of a sort that will gradually reduce
customs duties and ultimately transform the
region into great new single market.
Like Mr.. Hoffman, the eight overseas men,
bers of the ICC commission have emphasized
their conviction that these measures, together
with such other measures as freer trade with
the United States, must be set in motion IT the
great gains already achieved under the Marshall
Plan are to enable Western Europe to close the
so-called dollar gap and recover to the point OF
enduring economic stability on a self-supporting
basis In principle the political leaders OF the
participating countries agree with that thesis,
but many of them regard the problem as some
thing that must be tackled slowly, over period
of two or three decades. Their business counter
parts, on the other hand, feel that the situation
calls for as much speed as possible.
This viewpoint has been well expressed by
the eight ICC delegations. AS set forth in their
statement, the program they and Mr.. Hoffman
advocate Should not be treated merely as
long-run objective but should be recognized as
a task of overwhelming Importance and Of the
highest priority, to which every recipient of
Marshall aid is unequivocally committed" Ac-
cordingly they have called upon the European
national committees of the International Cham
Der of Commerce to impress upon their respec-
tive governments the urgent need to accelerate"
action in order to insure real progress toward
the beckoning goal
Such an affirmative outlook, If expressed in
the form of continuing pressure from business
circles in Western Europe, can do much to prod
political leaders. Mr.. Hoffman has reason to
be encouraged by it.