AUSTRALIAN TARIFFS

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 July 1936, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN TARIFFS

U.S.A.'s RETALIATION. [BY CABLE —PBESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.) WASHINGTON, June 29. President Roosevelt has ordered the withdrawal of all trade benefits that were accruing to Australia under the reciprocal trade treaties. The withdrawal begins on August 1. The order has followed a communication from Mr. Roosevelt to Mr. Morgenthau (Secretary to Treasury) in which the President invoked his authority under the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, which provides for the suspension or application of tariff rates to any country “because of its discriminatory treatment of American commerce, or because of other acts or policies which, in his opinion, tend to defeat the purposes set forth in the Act.” Mr. Roosevelt’s letter declared: You are hereby notified that I find as a fact that the treatment of American commerce by the Commonwealth of Australia is discriminatory. I, therefore, direct that the proclaimed duties shall cease to be applied to the products of Australia entered for consump-

tion, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after August 1.” President Roosevelt further ordered Mr. Morgenthau to publish his decisions in an early issue of the weekly Treasury decisions. Australia thus joins Germany on the U.S. Treasury’s so-called “black list” of countries excluded from tariff benefits under the reciprocal agreements. The practical effects on Australian

imports for the present are said by trade experts here not to be great,

nasmuch as the United States imports

important Australian products that have not figured largely in the reciprocal agreements so far negotiated. The imports likely to be affected include certain ores, sausage casings, wines, hides and skins; but in the event of the completion of additional agreements with other countries, the President’s action will undoubtedly assume larger practical proportions. Whether the Treasury’s order will operate against the prospects of a reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Australia is a matter on which trade experts decline to make any predictions.

CALIFORNIAN SUGGESTION • t LOS ANGELES, June 29. The Chambers of Commerce sub-com-mittee dealing with the Australian trade embargoes has decided to recommend the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce to suggest that Australia should appoint a Minister at Washington with a view to ironing out the trade problems, and that the Pacific Coast Chambers of Commerce should urge Australia to send a delegation of business men to America with samples of exportable goods, except of primary products which would compete with American products. The opinion is expressed that Australian hardwoods, minerals, metals, coke, coal and hides could be sold in America. It is felt that Australia is partly to blame for her adverse balanced trade with America, owing to the inadequacy of her sales efforts. NO IMPORTANT RESULTS. (Received July 1, 1.30 p.m.) CANBERRA, July 1. The Australian Minister-in-charge of trade treaties, Sir Henry Gullett, stated that none of Australia’s important exports to the United States would be affected by Mr. Roosevelt’s order. He added that tire effect of the United States action was purely nominal. An examination of the United States’ most favoured nation treaties had failed to disclose any benefits upon imports into the United States from Australia. ,