“Drastic Overhaul” In U.S. Trade Expected

Press, Volume C, Issue 29674, 18 November 1961, Page 11

“Drastic Overhaul” In U.S. Trade Expected

(NJZ. Press Assn. —Copyright)

PARIS, Nov. 17. The United States had to think of a drastic overhaul of her trade policies in view of the European Common Market, the United States Undersecretary of State (Mr George Ball) said yesterday. The United States Administration was preparing proposals for Congress for this

purpose, although these proposals were not yet completed, Mr Ball said, addressing a conference of Ministers of the new 20-nation organisation for Economic Co-opera-tion and Development ' "What is shaping up Is really the appearance of two common markets—those of the United States and Europe,” he said. “These two common markets alone will have 90 per cent of the production of the free world. "This means for the United States that whatever the new trade arrangements might be, we have to organise ourselves with new tools for international trade negotiations.”

Many people In the United States were persuaded that new thinking had to be brought on this question of new tools. "I can say that my Government is fully determined to pursue a very liberal trading policy and we are seeking in our proposals to Congress the greatest possible authority for the President In this field,” he said.

The President of the Board of Trade (Mr F. J. Erroll) welcomed the United States Common Market approach and described Mr Ball’s suggestions as constructive. Economic Challenge Earlier, Mr Ball urged the West to increase its economic production by one-half by 1970 as an answer to Russia’s world-wide economic challenge. On behalf of the United States, be called for a goal of a combined annual gross national product for the United States, Canada and Western Europe of between £464.284.000.000 and £535.713.000,000. The meeting

accepted his plan but there were no immediate details. The present combined gross national product—that is, the total output of goods and services—of the 20 O.E.C.D. nations is estimated at up to £357,000,000,000, of which United States production represents about 60 per cent. In London today, the "Daily Express” said that senior Labour back-benchers had formed an anti-Common Market committee. Their aim was to swing’ uncommitted Labour members of Parliament behind a "Don't Join Europe” line. The group’s leaders estimated that up to about half of the Parliamentary Labour Party were against Britain joining the Common Market, the report said. The British Prime Minister 'Mr Macmillan) came under fire in the House of Commons yesterday from both Conservative and Labour backbenchers for not keeping the Commonwealth informed on the Common Market negotiations. Mr Macmillan insisted there was full consultation with the Commonwealth governments, both in London and on the Continent. The consultation he said, was in the form of summaries of documents, not verbatim reports.