WORLD TRADE MATTERS

Evening Star, Issue 22619, 10 April 1937, Page 17

WORLD TRADE MATTERS

POSSIBILITY OF INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT INFORMAL EXCHANGES TAKE PLAGE (British Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, April 8. In the House of Commons Mr StanIjy Baldwin said no approach had been made to His Majesty’s Government by other Governments regarding the possibility of an international agreement on trade matters, although informal exchanges of views had taken place. His Majesty’s Government had inquired of the Belgian Prime Minister whether he would be willing to undertake a preliminary informal investigation in various countries as to the possibility of securing a general relaxation of quotas and other obstacles to international trade. M. Van Zeeland had stated that he was disposed to accept this invitation, but no international conference was at present envisaged. Mr Baldwin was understood to indicate that the proposed inquiries would include the possibility of lowering tariff harriers. ■ • The Prime Minister’s attention was drawn to a speech by the United States Secretary of State (Mr Cordell Hull), urging the need for increased economic co-operation between the nations of the world, and he was asked if he would consider extending the scope of the agenda of the forthcoming Imperial Conference to include the question. Mr Baldwin replied: “ The scope of the agenda is, I think, sufficiently wide to admit of a general discussion on this question, if the representatives at the conference so desire.”