22 OCTOBER 1932, Page 2

More Hindrance of Trade The denunciation of the Russian Trade.

Agreement, as part of the bargain exacted by Canada at Ottawa is pro- foundly unfortunate. Curiously enough, while Mr. Thomas was announcing it in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, Minister of Labour in the Conservative Government of 1924-29, who has just visited Russia and come back, not at all converted to Bolshevism but deeply impressed with realities, was talking extremely sound sense at Edinburgh about the desirability of extending our trade with Russia. Her purchases from us have risen steadily in the last two years —of no other country can that be said—and Germany and America are eager enough to snatch Russian orders that might be keeping British workmen employed. It is true that denunciation of the agreement only leaves us free to interfere with Russian trade if the process controversially termed dumping (several countries complain of dumped British coal) is held to have taken place, but Tuesday's announcement introduces more uncertainty and mistrust into a world half-ruined by those evils already. The action taken was promised at Ottawa, but it is from every point of view pernicious.

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