Cripps in Canada
The economic tensions, such as they are, between Britain and Canada today are essentially of the kind which can be resolved by a clear-headed advocate. And Sir Stafford Cripps, beside being abeut the best advocate in the world, has a cast-iron brief which he can support with a remarkable grasp of economic complexities acquired in the hardest school of experience. At the moment the chief Canadian misgiving is that, having committed herself very deeply, by credits and by long-term price agreements, to the chance of British recovery, she may find that, if and when that recovery is complete, her British suppliers are unable to provide either reason- ably priced goods, or dollars or convertible sterling in return for the heavy surplus of Canadian goods exported to Britain between the end of the war and 1952 when E.R.P. ends. Sir Stafford Cripps should be able to remove most of these misgivings. He knows as much an anybody about the exporting prospects of British industry, and his latest report to Parliament showed progress towards economic health. On the question of dollars acquired by Britain through exports to the United States—the traditional British means of pay- ment for Canadian imports under the old triangular trading arrange- ments—assurances are required from the United States as well as from nritain, but again Sir Stafford will be able to report an im- proving situation. Convertible sterling is still a long way off, but since Canada would undoubtedly be glad to be able to spend the sterling she acquires on purchases outside the United Kingdom there is little doubt that, backed by a steady improvement in non-dollar trade, _the British Chancellor will try hard to give useful assurances. Finally it is as well to remember that we do not go to Ottawa as beggars. To the extent that British imports from Canada in recent years have been based on an unduly charitable Canadian assessment of British recovery prospects they have had no permanent basis. To the extent that they are based on a realistic grasp of the benefits to Canada, as well as to Britain, of the closest possible understanding they will be firmly founded.
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