TOO MANY TARIFFS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 930, 25 March 1930, Page 9

TOO MANY TARIFFS

TRADE HEADS SEEK TRUCE BETWEEN NATIONS RESULTS OF GENEVA TALKS British Official Wireless RUGBY, Sunday. The President of tfie Board, of Trade, Mr. W. Graham, speaking at Edinburgh, said the Tariff Truce Conference at Geneva - had been remarkably difficult. Broadly, the object was to facilitate European economic co-operation. That was in no sense directed either against the United States or against further co-operation within the British Empire. Since the war customs barriers had increased in practically all parts of Europe. For Britain that tendency had been almost disastrous, and Britain had therefore everything to gain from any movement which assisted in the reduction of such tariffs. Fortunately, they had now the prospect of securing an agreement which would safeguard the existing commercial treaties for at least one year and provide an environment in which European and other countries would enter on negotiations to ascertain in what group of commodities tariff reductions could be effected. The proceedings at Geneva had been most encouraging. A considerable part of Europe now recognised tha + the imposition of tariffs had gone too far.