AMERICAN TRADE WITH ITALY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21639, 25 November 1935, Page 11

AMERICAN TRADE WITH ITALY

Exports To Be Kept At Normal Value OBSERVING "SPIRIT" OF NEUTRALITY ACT (UNITED I'KKSS ASSOCIATION—COI'IBIGHT.) (Received November 24, 11 p.m.) WASHINGTON, November 23. At a- press interview to-day, Mr Cordell Hull (Secretary of State) joined newspaper correspondents in a general discussion on the war trade situation, from which America's present policy can be described in general terms as follows:—In addition to direct implements of war, the export of which is positively banned .to both bel--1 ligerents, the government will main--1 tain a list of "war essentials" (which follows the list of goods recently named by Mr Hull), such as oil, copper, lorries, tractors, scrap iron, and scrap steel. There will be no legal embargo on their shipment, although such shipments are considered as contrary to the "spirit" of the Neutrality Act, and if they appear excessive in relation to normal exports, pressure will be exerted to curtail them, as has been done in the case of oil. To-day it was suggested that shipments of cotton to Italy appear to be booming, and Mr Hull said that if official figures proved such to be the case, the question of adding cotton to the war essential list would be considered. Thus the Government strategy appears to be to attempt to keep export materials needed for war at about normal volume, without taking action that in Rome would be construed as punitive. Of course the policy is equally applicable to both belligerents, but actually only Italy will be affected.

OIL EMBARGO LIKELY APPLICATION BY MIDDLE OF DECEMBER (Received November 24, 8.20 p.m.) GENEVA, November 23. Preliminary soundings of the Committee of Eighteen indicate the possibility of an embargo on oil to Italy, to become operative in the middle of December. U.S. OIL COMPANIES THREATENED PRESSURE TO SUSPEND EXPORTS TO ITALY LONDON, November 22. The Geneva correspondent of the "Daily Mail" says that certain sanction States are pressing the Standard Oil Company and other companies to suspend exports to Italy, threatening, in the event of non-compli-ance, to transfer orders to Rumania, Russia, and other countries applying sanctions.

UNANNOUNCED BOYCOTT OF LEAGUE SUSPECTED ITALIAN MOVE (Received November 24, 11.20 p.m.) GENEVA, November 23. Italy's decision not to send delegates to the tripartite conference of the International Labour Office, or the committee to study the composition of the council, is interpreted as an unrevealed decision by the Fascist Council to boycott the league while sanctions are enforced. CANADIAN IMPORTS NOT ALLOWED OTTAWA, November 22. The .Canadian Trade Commissioner in Milan advises that the Government of Italy is hitting back at sanctions by prohibiting the entry of Canadian flour, nickel, liquor, rubber, and other goods, but not wheat. ' MORE MEN FOR U.S. NAVY ♦ BIG APPROPRIATION SOUGHT (Received November 24, 7.5 p.m.) WARM SPRINGS (Georgia), November 22. Mr Roosevelt, on his annual autumn vacation, announced that he would ask Congress for an additional 3,600,000 dollars naval appropriation to increase the personnel to the authorised maximum strength of 100,000, compared with the present 96,000. The recruits will be necessary to man the new vessels to be put into operation in the coming year.