AMERICAN TARIFF POLICY.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20807, 17 March 1933, Page 11

AMERICAN TARIFF POLICY.

RECIPROCAL AGREEMENTS PLANNED. GOVERNMENT MOVE FOR LOWER DUTIES. (UNITED I'KESS ASSOCIATION —BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) WASHINGTON, March 15. Officials of the State Department indicated to-day that, if possible, reciprocal tariff agreements with various nations would bo worked out before the World Economic Conference. The spokesman for the department said that whether it would be possible to negotiate reciprocal agreements depended on whether the people of the various nations had suffered enough privations to bring them to the point of forcing their political bodies to lower the present abnormally high tariffs. The present Government of the United States he described as ready and desirous of contributing its full share to such a movement in accordance with tho tariff policy of the Democratic party. The Secretary of State, Mr Cordell Hull, expects to talk with tho British Ambassador, Sir Ronald Lindsay, befors long, and will state on behalf of the United States Government its broad desires for the Economic Conference. CANADA'S POSITION. READY TO NEGOTIATE WITH 'AMERICA. OTTAWA, March 15. Tho attitude of the Canadian Government toward tariff matters has been that no definite action should be taken in tho way of a tariff policy until after the World Economic Conference. So far as the United States is concerned, Canada stands ready to negotiate reciprocal agreements, but the stand of the Government, as indicated in the recent debate in the House, was that it was not the proper time for Canada to make overtures.