GERMAN TRADE WITH BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1919, Page 7

GERMAN TRADE WITH BRITAIN

COLONEL IfNOTT'S PHOPOSAL REPUDIATED. Cologne, September 29. A meeting' of the British Chamber of Commerce resolved ■ that Colonel Knott's statements were unauthorised, and called on Colonel Knott to resign. The Chamber entirely dissociated itself from' Cdlonel Knott's proposal to establish n commercial clearing honse at Ber-lin—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assnl ■

[Colonel Knott, President of the Brit-' ish Chamber of. Commerce in Germany, recently interviewed Herr Erzberger, Finance Minister, and Ilerr Schmidt, i Minister for Economics, regarding-the proposal to establish a clearing-house in Ber.;in to control. all exports from Germany to the British Bmpiro and imports from Britain. He stated that the German Government had consented'in principle to a British ofiiciaH controlling , a license department of tho Ministry for Economics. This would prevent | the "dumping" (the process of selling goods to a foreign country at prices below tliol 'market value ruling in tho country where the goods aro produced).of German goods in Great Britain. Germany was, however, at present unable to "dump,", as her stooks of manufactures were very small. Colonel Knott etated- that tlioj idea was that German manufacturers' wouild make their offers to the centml British organisation through the Berlin dtaring-house, and only sucli offers as were accepted would bo allowed to leave Germany. The result of British control of tho clearing-house would be to see that the exports did not exceed the imports.] ■ .