GENEVA TRADE TALKS BY NO MEANS HELPFUL

Chronicle (Levin), 24 May 1947, Page 5

GENEVA TRADE TALKS BY NO MEANS HELPFUL

Received Friday,' 7.0 p.m, LONDON, May 23. The draft charter of the lnterna Lional Trade Employmenf Organisation is overproue to qualify statements and provide escape elauses until it seems a j-oach and four eould be drive'n through alniost every article, says the Times' special Geneva correspondent. Highly complicated permissive and prohibitive elauses are expressed in language so in volved that. tlie meaning is often disentangled only with the greatest ditfioulty, Lucidity is not a strong point although the cliarter was well thrashed out iu advance. The chance of the sue ces^ or failure of • the conferenee de pends on negotiations between United btates aud the other countries, especiailv the United Kingdom and the Domiuions. . The Bill before the United States Congress to .increase the tariif on iinpotted ivool, has'thrown an element of uneertUiuty n ver the whole proeeedings, Lef't to themselves the experts might hope to- niake so-nie progress but tlie uegptiators have not been kept clear of political pressure and intervention,The shadow of the Washington Congress iiltvays ties across the discussions Pressure from business xnterests is less tliaji was expeeted, . Tlie sharp claslies over . Arnerican wool dutieS should not obscure the rela tive sueeess of other negotiations. The Times in a leading article, says the escftpe clause in the Araerican Trade Agreements Act bj' whjch cou-

cessions may be nullifled if damage is tlireatened to Arnerican domestic producers, ha3'diminished the reliability of all agreements to which United Etates may be a party, The article discusses .tlie national or group xnterests affecting the Geneva bargaining says they make a compjex discord which may not be easily removed.