Export Drop As Blessing In Disguise

Chronicle (Levin), 11 June 1949, Page 5

Export Drop As Blessing In Disguise

Received Fridav. 7 p.m. WADDINGTON. .Tune 9. The eurrent drop in British experts might serve as "shock troatment" to British industrv and in the long run might be the best thing that happened to it, Mr. Paul Tloffman, Eeonomic Cooperation Adniinistrator, said today. Mr. Hoffman w as giving evidence bt-fore the Senate \ppropriat ions C'onimittee which was discussing the 1949-50 appropriation required to continue the Iluropean Reeoverv Programme. After giving evidence Mr. IToffman said he would quit as head of the Kuropean Reeoverv Programme unless Gongress gave him the money he thought was needed to do the job. Iie said some liero might tlien come along who thought he could handle the programme with less money. Huch a man was welcome to try it, he added. Asked, wlien giving evidence before the coinmittee, if h" saw signs of great "conomic collapsp in Britain, Mr. Hoffman said lrn thought botli the United Gtates and Britain were in closely similar ]>ositions. "We have had a great post war boom wherein you charged 'wlmtever your eonscienee would allow you. Today we are fac.ed with having to cut onr costs. If we are successfnl in this period then anvthing can happen." Mr. llof'fman added that one of the most successfnl campaigns by the British Guven>nienf had been to inci'case l'iamhour jiroduct i vitv. "Britain had a mucli luore diffioult problem than we had. 1 tliink great progress has been mude in clianging the attitude of top union leadersliip in Britain," he said. He denied that Britain was using reeoverv funds to further nationalise lier industrieSt Mr. Hoffman said any further recluction would wreck the Marshall Plan and lead to a contracting world '■eijnoiuy. Once that happened the 1'iiited States would lose all hope of nalancing its economy. Asked why the United States should put Eurojiean countries in a position to compete with Ameriean business, Mr. Il'ilfmau replied that by helping out Western Europe, the United States would be able to reduce defence spend-