Evening star., 1952-11-23
Barriers
We Must Lower Them, Industriost Says,
Even at Expense of Some Home Producers
By A B. Sporboe

Sporboe
Isbvry Mills, Inc.
wants, we don't have to worry as
much about people losing present
jobs as getting them into the most
profitable jobs both for their own
benefit and that of society. Instead
Of having consumers eternally denied
the benefits of competitive produc-
ton, there are those who reason, with
some validity, that it would be
cheaper for the Government to buy
and close up non-competitive mar
ginal producers, just as industry
often deems it expedient to write of
plants that have become too ex-
pensive to operate economically.
All People Are Consumers
Despite the cliche that no two
people are alike, all humans have one
thing in common: They are consum-
ers Of goods and services. Whether
a member of primitive barter society
or part of the modern commercial
world utilizing money to overcome
the obvious handicapS of the barter
system, every consumer has an obli-
cation to himself to bargain intelli-
gently for his needs and wants. This
includes forcing pressure groups
asking for special competitive consid-
Grafton to demonstrate convincingly
the equity of their requests.
The next time pound of Danish
butter, container of Dutch cheese
or case of English cutlery appears
off Sandy Hook on it's way to COM
pete in our market. let's not be un-
duly impressed by the shouts of pro-
test by domestic suppliers of the
same articles. It is barely possible
that such shouts might reflect a
covert desire to take an extra nick
out of our wallet. So instead, let's
consider few of the many advan-
tages that competitive imports afford
us. and let me use cheese only as one
example.
If I find both American and i'm
ported cheese on the same counter.
the chances are that the American
cheese is priced more moderately than
If the imported product were not
there competing for favor. Thus more
consumers can afford to buy more
cheese, automatically increasing the
total market and consumption above
what it would be if priced higher,
and still leave a few pennies toward
purchasing other articles. If I de-
eide to buy a dollars worth of the
imported cheese, in effect I have
ignited whole chain of wholesome
events. I have permitted, and for
value received. some foreign friend to
earn dollar with which he may
want to buy some American product.
Not only do our imports automatic
cally provide dollars to generate
production and prosperity for our
exporting industries, but also tend to
hold down our domestic price level.
thereby enhancing our ability to
compete for increasing amounts Of
export business.
Others Benefit
It is hardly necessary to add that
a healthy expanding foreign trade
multiplies into untold benefits for
many not directly engaged in it, i.e.,
those who serve the people who
derive their wages and income from
exports and imports. Among these
are the farmer, landlord, grocer.
butcher, baker, barber, clothier,
movie, tavern and garage operators.
transportation and communication
workers and lots of others.
1t may seem like paradox to some
people that imports can cause so
many reverberating benefits through
our whole economy, yet this is ex-
actly the way expanding foreign COM
merce works. It is nothing less than
Shortsighted to continue believing
that Uncle Sam can 60 on forever
doing all of his own work and more
than his fair share of the worlds
work. Furthermore, only by encour-,
aging all countries to contribute COM
petitively their share according to
their respective natural resources. cli-
mate and skills can the wants and
needs of all peoples be satisfied.
with minimum effort and maximum
security against war.
To the die-hardS who think they
are entitled to more than a COMPETE
tive chance, I have only this to say:
When millions of men are prepared
to make the supreme sacrifice in
war for the benefit of survivors, what
is so unreasonable about expecting
the rest of us to make economic ad-
justments-for the benefit of society
that are but q mockery by COM
parison?