TRADE AGREEMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 19 November 1937, Page 6

TRADE AGREEMENT

I BRITAIN AND UNITED STATES | ; EARLY ANNOUNCEMENT | EXPECTED i 1 POSITION OF DOMINIONS I j (United I’resH AflHociatiou —H.v Electric ; Telecrn pb —Uop.v risn 11 NEW YORK, 17th November, j Bertram Ilulen, a member of the Washington staff of the "New York Times,” in an exclusive article, says the announcement that Britain and America arc contemplating the nego- I liation of a reciprocal trade agreement is expected at any moment following a conference at the Stale Department j this afternoon between the British Ambassador and the Assistant-Secretary of Shite. It will be the climax to Mr Cordell Hull’s programme of liberalising international trade relations, because he , always recognised that Britain's adher-: cncc is an essential factor for success. It is felt that with a trade agreement j supplying the impetus. opportunities for collaboration in other detailed economic fields will open up to Britain and America, while political relations; will be even more closely cemented, j There is no indication at present of , what the possibcl effect will be on the 1 Dominions. It is reported that a broad agreement n for the whole of the Empire may be contemplated, or alternatively it might 1 be followed by short separate agree- v meats covering Australia, New Zca- f land, South Africa, and Canada. , However, it is believed that developments » in respect of the Dominions will re- c quire more consideration, although Mr | Hull’s programme always contem- 1 plated agreements with all governments Sl

. DEFINITE ANNOUNCEMENT MADE (Received 19th November, 10.5 a.m.) ‘ WASHINGTON, 18th November Mr Cordell Hull, Secretary of State, announced that it was the United States’s intention to negotiate an AngloAmerican trade treaty, and invited interested persons to submit suggestions regarding imports and exports of products that should be considered. Formal notice of the negotiations “will be issued at a later date after the receipt of proposals by tjie United Kingdom, at which date will also be published a list of the products on which the United States will consider granting concessions to the United Kingdom” “DEFINITE STEP FORWARD” j PROGRESS OF DISCUSSIONS (Received 19th November, 10.15 a.m.) ! LONDON, 18th November, j Mr Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister, was greeted with applause in all parts of the House of Commons when he announced in reply to Mr C. K. Attlee, Leader of the Labour Opposition, that he was happy to state that the ex- ; ploratory discussions regarding an j Anglo-American Trade Pact had reach- j ed a point enabling the Governments concerned to announce that negotiations were contemplated. He added that this marked a definite step forward. A Washington report says that the pact will offset the Anti-Communist Pact. IMPRESSIVE EXAMPLE TO WORLD The “Daily Telegraph,” in a leader, says that the trade agreement is heartily welcomed on all sides. It not only sets an impressive example to the world at large, but makes a definite break in that vicious circle of exclusiveness and restriction which had so grievously crippled international 1 trade and hindered recovery since the 1 post-war depression. The final bar- 1 gain, if it is to have any virtue, must ! be one that will not leave aggrieved 1 those whom it is designed to benefit. 1 For that result the best assurance on ( our side is that the dominions will be taken into the fullest consideration 1 from the first, and that though the 1 existing privileges may be readjusted, 1 they will not be sacrificed. 1