INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22072, 21 April 1937, Page 9

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Brussels The, Pivot In World Affairs WHITEHALL LOOKING TO M. VAN ZEELAND (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) (Received April 21, 1 a.m.) LONDON, April 20. For the time being Brussels has become the pivot in world affairs, while the Belgian Prime Minister, M. Paul van Zeeland, is at the same time the outstanding European statesman. Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, the German Minister for National Economy, has already gone to Brussels. The British Foreign Secretary, Mr R. A. Eden, will depart for Brussels on Sunday, and the United States Am-bassador-at-large, Mr Norman Davis, will follow soon afterwards. Mr Eden will participate in vital conversations regarding M. van Zeeland’s mission to report to the world on freeing international trade by lowering tariff barriers. British official quarters say it is too early to anticipate a world economic conference in the autumn, but they believe that if any man to-day is able to give a lead in solving the economic problems of the world, that man is van Zeeland, Whitehall couples him with the French Piime Minister, M. Leon Blum, as head and shoulders above other European statesmen. GERMAN DEMAND FOR RAW MATERIALS MINISTER PREDICTS GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT BERLIN, April 19. The German Minister for National Economy (Dr. Hjalmar Schacht), in a speech at- Munich, prophesied a gradual improvement in Germany’s raw material situation. He said: “We must put up with certain restrictions if we want to safeguard Germany against attacks from outside. However, the raw materials restrictions have passed the climax, though the food situation will not permit freeing ourselves completely from foreign imports for a considerable time. Colonies under German administration and with German currency would help Germany immensely.” Some foreign commentators interpret Dr, Schacht’s speech to be associated with Germany’s changed policy, signifying her willingness to co-operate in Europe and restore world trade, ? N.Z. TRADE WITH GERMANY MR W. NASH’S MISSION TO BERLIN LONDON, April 19. The possibilities of reciprocal trade were discussed in Berlin by the New Zealand Minister for Finance and Marketing (the Hon. W. Nash) with representatives of the German Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economics. . In welcoming Mr Nash, a Foreign Office official said he was glad of the opportunity to discuss the principles of a possible trade agreement. New Zealand had goods that Germany needed and Germany would welcome a reciprocal arrangement. Mr Nash said he hoped that dt would- be possible to assist world peace by co-operation with Germany and other nations. This objective could be brought closer by the extension of trade arrangements.