QUICK CUT OF BRITISH IMPORTS IS UNLIKELY

Evening Star, Issue 26155, 17 July 1947, Page 7

QUICK CUT OF BRITISH IMPORTS IS UNLIKELY

(Utec. i p.m.) LONDON, July 16. Britain is unlikely to make quick cuts in imports in spite of the United States Congress delay in considering the Marshall plan, says 'Reuter's diplomatic correspondent. Before anything vis received from America, European countries may benefit from each other. 'Britain, in addition, has the prospect of buying from non-dollar countries, and, under the hoped-for trade pact,of securing grain and timber from Russia and later supplies from the colonies, these factors may enable Britain to carry on satisfactorily. Until the Marshall plan is operated the United States may take a very elastic view of Clause 9 of the British loan agreement as far as it concerns colonial development. , Clause 9 forbids the British to grant trade preference to any country as against America. There is no question of modifying Clause 9 in relation to the bigger dominions or in relation to any long-standing pre-war development like Rhodesian tobacco growing. There could be no general abandonment on Clause 9 without the consent of Congress, which may take a considerable time.