‘BUY AMERICAN’ MOVE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1933, Page 7

‘BUY AMERICAN’ MOVE

OFFICIAL SUPPORT REFUSED

“MUST KEEP WHAT WE HAVE”

FOREIGN TRADE OF U.S.A.

STATEMENT BY SOLICITOR

By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.

Rec. 7.15 p.m. Washington, Jan. 18. Simultaneous with an announcement by the Secretary of Commerce (Mr. Roy D. Chapin) that the United States foreign trade in 1932, valued at 2,940,000,000 dollars (about £588,000,000 at par), was the lowest dollar valuation recorded since 1905, the solicitor of the Department of Commerce (Mr. Morgan) stated that the Government was not justified in lending official support to the “Buy American movement being agitated, by various organisations to combat similar. nationalistic movements in other nations, particularly “Buy British.” The solicitor’s statement made a reply to a letter from the American Ceramic Society, one of the leaders of the movement. He added that while the Commerce Department was not opposed to the movement, “division of interests prevents universal support or adoption of the Mr .Chapin cited the fact that although the 1932 exports totalled £232,400,000, a decline of £141,000, they provided direct employment for 2,000,000 American workmen. “We must keep what we have and continue to strive to develop foreign trade,” he said. The statement is considered significant in view of the Buy American” agitation.