EXPANDING U.S. TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 23946, 12 October 1939, Page 6

EXPANDING U.S. TRADE

Appeal By Secretary

Of State

AMERICAN EXPORTERS’ PROBLEMS

(Received October 11, 8.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 10.

Emphasizing the necessity for expanding United States trade in spite of the war, the United States Secretary of State (Mr Cordell Hull) told the National Foreign Trade Convention that , “neutrality leaves us entirely free to trade in all commodities with both sides within the limits legitimately introduced by belligerents under the rules of war or adopted by the United States for the protection of its nationals, goods and ships.” Mr Hull said he firmly believed the Western Hemisphere would escape the war, and added that Government control of foreign trade by belligerents was already far more comprehensive and thorough than it was early in the Great War. The belligerents’ drastic restriction of' imports not essential for hostilities and their concentration on imports for war was a serious problem for American exporters. Whether it would result in an increase or a decrease in United States exports to Europe, no one could tell. The United States would endeavour to maintain normal trade with neutrals, said Mr Hull, and must be ready to redouble her efforts after the war when the restoration of international trade relations on a sound basis will be even more difficult. He added that he believed narrow economic nationalism was one of the causes of war. Mr Herbert Hoover, a former President of the United States, in a statement on neutrality, said he favours the free sale of pursuit and light observation aeroplanes, anti-aircraft guns and other instruments of defence against attack on civilians.. He proposes the prohibition of the sale of bombing aeroplanes, poison gas and submarines. Mr Hoover emphasized that his proposals offered a genuine alternative to the repeal or the non-repeal of the embargo provision. “This proposal largely meets the distrust that repeal of the embargo is but another step towards the United States joining in this war. We would not be throwing the weight of our arms manufacture into European power politics,” said Mr Hoover. “We would be throwing it to the greater humanity of the world and a less destructive war.”

NEED TO BUILD UP U.S. ARMY

LESSON GIVEN BY SWIFT CONQUEST OF POLAND

NEW YORK, October 10.

“Germany’s swift conquest of Poland emphasizes the necessity for immediately increasing the manpower and equipment of the United States Army.” This statement was made by Mr Edwin C. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of War, to an insurance convention at

White Sulphur Springs (Virginia). He expressed the view that the present militia of 400,000 regulars might find itself, like Poland, inadequate in an emergency, lacking combat cars, tanks, machine-guns, gas masks and firecontrol instruments. “Had our mechanized units met the German mechanized forces we would have been outnumbered in combat cars,” he said. “Light medium tanks could have been raised against them, but few anti-tank guns. Our mechanization programme has barely started and must be hastened.”