Trade Friction and War

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 764, 10 September 1929, Page 9

Trade Friction and War

LEAGUE ASSEMBLY WARNED Tariff Barriers Attacked BRITISH DELEGATE URGES ACTION (Lnited P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian <| d 2\.Z. Press Association J (Lnited Service) Received 11 a.m. GENEVA, Monday. ADDRESSING the League of Nations Assembly this afterboon, Mr. "W. Graham, President of the British Board of Trade, entirely changed the character of the general debate, devoting himself to the economic instead of the political aspects of Europe, emphasising that economic frictions were most fruitful in the field of production, and that disputes were likely to lead to war.

The crux of Mr. Graham’s recommendation was that a definite step should be taken by this Assembly, to show that they all meant business m the direction of a reduction of tariff barriers. As a first practical step, Mr. Graham suggested an immediate agreement that nobody in any way would increase existing: tariffs for two years, during which they should hold another world economic conference to ascertain how tariff barriers could definitely be reduced. Mr. Graham subsequently s 1 ated

that in the event of a world movement for tariff reduction, he hoped the Dominions would come into line. He pointed out that they would be separate as negotiators. Referring to the coal question, Mr. Graham said that what one had to aim at was a better distribution of output among European countries. He advocated the formation of a committee including coalowners, wholesalers, miners and consumers, to study the problem of the coal industry in all its aspects, and steps to be taken to secure a uniform agreement throughout the world.