Smyrna times., 1962-11-22

Farm Journal, and the rtppleS
are spreading around the world.
Speaking to the Delaware
Crop Improvement Association
at its annual awards banquet In
Dover Tuesdaynight (November
10Y. Clifford reported his first
hand observations of the Europ-
can Economic Community and
proposed a plan of action for
American farmers to consider.
He is economics editor for
Farm Journal and is respon-
sible for its Washington report
and Farmcast. In 1860 and again
In 1862 he travelled to Europe to
study developments In this new
economic community.
"Unless the United States
wakes up soon and fights hard
for its trade In Europe, we
will see shrinking market for
U. S. farm goods In the area
of the world where we ship
TWO thirds of the farm exports
that we sell for dollars; our
United States International
monetary exchange balance. al
ready In trouble, will suffer;
and Europe itself, and the Com
mon Market. will be hurt In the
long run"
Western Europe seems de-
termined to build high single
common tariff wall around the
Common Market, he said. twill
be harder to vault farm goods
over this tariff wall. particul-
arly wheat, feed grains. poultry.
rice, fruits and vegetables.
Since So per cent ofDelaware's
cash farm income is derived
from poultry and eggs, this will
have strong repercussions In
this area, Clifford noted.
If Great Britain joins the
Common Market another 81
million people will be sheltered
behind the high protection wall,
the editor said. ''In short, 1t
will put the worlds largest
single food unprecedented
Britain--behind that high, hard
to-scale Common Market tariff
WALL"
The countries that will pro-
bably be inside the wall import
70 per cent of the worlds
corn. SO per cent Of the but
ter, 90 per cent of the barley,
So per cent of the wool, 54
per cent of the vegetable oils
and fat, and almost half of the
worlds imports of eggs and to-
bacco.
While most of the countries
of the world that are excluded
from the Common Market are
screaming bloody murder about
this alliance, he said, the United
States has given its whole
hearted blessing. The State De-
partment's policy on the Com
mon Market is something like
this: ''We officially approve of
the Common Market. including
Great Britain becoming a mem
Der If that is what they want"
Clifford says this policy is one
of the understatements of our
times. 81 believe that every
capital In Europe realizes that
the US. governments position
is that we are eager for a
united Western Europe--and
one that included Great Bri-
tain.
In fact, the State Department
may want a unified Western
Europe so badly that they may
be failing to negotiate for more
favorable terms for American
farmers. Clifford cites these
circumstances supporting his
view: 1.-TWO years ago found
that these EEC countries we're
talking a good game of keeping
their doors open to a continued
flow of products from American
farms. Don't get excited, they
said. we haven't even set our
tariff levels, yet or our sup
port levels. Don't prejudge us
that we are going to be re-
stricdonists.'
When the chips we're down,
he said, the rates on almost
every agricultural tariff we're
higher than the average that ex-
listed In the six separate coun-
tries before. Broilers going in
to Germany we're raised from
4.8 cents per pound on 80 cent
broilers going to Hamburg to
l3 cents per pound. Tariffs on
fruit that averaged II per cent
of the value before we're hiked
to Is per cent. Grain duties
also climbed.
The advantages of ia European
economic community are OBJ
vious and In some mids quickly
outweigh the disadvantage to
American agriculture. In the
struggle for a free world a
powerful western oriented
peace loving, International
minded, prosperous, stable
partner In Western Europe is
paramount, he said. The only
question in Gifford's mind is
whether the Common Market
will be that. "Our concern as
farmers is that this new Europe
isn't formed mainly at the ex-
pense of our trade with
Europe.
Not all farm exports to
Europe will be hurt by the
Common Market, according to