A VOLTE FACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18066, 18 April 1933, Page 9

A VOLTE FACE

U.S. TARIFF POLICY SUPPORT FOR REDUCTION WASHINGTON, April 11. At the White House, in the Department of State, and in the American press, strange words are heard nowadays —strange, that is, in quarters which resounded such a short while ago to praise the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. “The United States is ready to offer tariff cuts to all tho world.” That is one of the almost unbelievable statements heard. Another is : “This country is prepared for an about-face ou economic policy in an effort to noost trade.”

From another quarter one learns that the President warmly approves of the new doctrine, and the Secretary of State, Mr. Hull, is a zealous evangelist of it.

The Democratic Administartion finds tho Smoot-llawley Tariff Act guilty of murder in the first degree, with world trade as its victim, but it also finds the trade barriers of other lands accessories after the fact.

The United States is being made to say: “Follow me to economic righteousness."

A significant intimation over the weekend came from the White House, which wishes to make a standard new agreement with Canada, to be used as a model for new proposals between the United States and other nations.

The necessary preliminary work by experts is well advanced, and the American Government now formally declares that it prefers to complete the now trade-promoting agreement first with Canada.

Tho Administration is prepared to act to secure a reduced wheat acreage in America, and holds that world control of wheat-planting is necessary The official view in Washington is that Canada, Australia and other wheat countries would gain much more by the increase in price, than they would lose by the decrease in production, if production were curtailed.