The Press TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1920. The International Chamber of Commerce.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16987, 9 November 1920, Page 6

The Press TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1920. The International Chamber of Commerce.

It is rather more than a year ago since .•it a conference held in the States it was decided to form an International Chnmber of Commerce to act on behalf of tho general trading interests of the allied countries and of such neutral (•wineries aa might bo invited to join. Business men aro apt to "get there," as our American cousins -put , it> and it therefore followed almost, as a matter of course that tho inaugural meeting of tho ne\vly-projectcd association took place two or three, months ago in Paris. Tho meeting lasted for a full week, arid was attended by about 150 delegates from tho United States, and some 50 each from Franco, Italy, Belgium, and Groat Britain, tho British delegation, characteristically enough, -T>eii)fc less completely representative of specific interests than those of tho other countries. An exceedingly interesting account of tho gathering, and of tho very valuable work it accomplished, is contributed to tho September number of tho "Anglo-French Reviow," T>y Dr. Underwood, ono- of tho British representatives, which makes it clear that whether or no tho League of Nations over succeeds in carrying out its beneficent schemes for the good of mankind, the I.C.C has already made good. Its aims are as lofty as they are practical, being, in the words of "M. lo Trocquer,

to oppose, to tho policy of hatred and destruction that of brotherhood and justice, and to re-establish in the world at largo that economic equilibrium which has teen so terribly disturbed by tho Great War. And its constitution de.-cribea it as incorporated "to fncili- *' t.ite the commercial intercourse, of '• nations, to securo harmony of action "<>! i all international questions affnet- " ing commerce and industry, and to " promote poace, progress, and cordial '' relations among countries and their ''citizens by the co-operation of busi- " ness men and their organisations de* 'voted to tho development of com•'mercc and industry." The delegates jvho attended tho Paris Conferonco were '•ciiresentativo of very wide interests, for they woro accredited not merely !.:y the principal Chambers of Commerce .->r their respective countries, but by their Governments, by national banks, industrial associations, and largo firms with international interests. The Conference was, therefore, an industrial counterpart of the League of Xations, with which it hopes, eventually, to act in all matters affecting the commercial, financial, banking,- and shipping intercuts of tho world. As was to Lo cx-jve-ted from such a body, ifc contrived tr» carry through a very large amount nf preliminary business at its first meet- j injr, and that, in spite of the fact that the social side was, as Dr. Underwood happily puts it, "duly emphasised," ono of the most important resolutions passed dealt' with tho establishment of j a Central -Bureau of International! Statistics, to collect and centralise tho information already compiled by na-! tkmal and private, agencies, and to analyse and interpret this information lor the business world at large. Other resolutions dealt with the conservation of raw materials, more particularly fuel, tho setting up of a Foreign Credit Bureau for tho service of exporters, the prevention of double payment of incometax, tho study of transport in all its branches, how to securo tho co-opera-tion of labour, international exchange, and kindred topics. And it is noteworthy that tho general feeling of the Conference was definitely against Government control of industry, and in

independent economic basis. Resolutions of secondary importance were passed in relation to tho reform of the calendar, and tho adoption of a fixed j date for Easter, tho simplification of i the passport system in tho interests of tourist traffic, tho facilitation of the dispatch of small sums by post between foreign countries, and tho compilation of an International of Commercial Terms. A practical difficulty in the transaction of tho business of the meeting was tho painful tedhim of going through the same discussion twice, oncc in English, and once in French, and it is suggested that at tho next Conference, which is to take place in London in 1921, it should bo decided to adopt either English or French as tho languago for use in debate, and to insist on a bilingual standard for delegates. It is noteworthy that the use of Esper-1 anto or Ido is not even mentioned aa a j possibility. Two questions are raised j at tho close of Dr. Underwood's article, j and both are cogent questions. How | is it possible for such a body as we havo described to function satisfactorily, if its membership is confined to delegations from Allied countries? and " How was it that tho United States "of America, which, is holding aloof "from tho League of Nations, saw fit "to send across tho Atlantic delegates " from every branch of industry, com- " merce, and finance, members of all " its leading bouses of business, out- " numbering by three to ono those who " crossed tho English Channel as repre- " sentatives from Great Britain?" Tho future of tho I.C.C. very obviously depends on the final answers that arc formed for those highly pertinent questions.