2 JULY 1932, Page 7

Lower Quotas Every glimmering sign of a return to economic

sanity in the world is something to clutch at in these days, It is therefore worth while calling attention to the decision of the French Minister of Commerce to relax in some degree the quota system that has been screwed up until it almost strangled sections of the French import trade, with results disastrous to exporters from this and other countries. There is no talk of abolishing the system, of which M. Tardieu was the chief architect, but the import allowance of various commodities is to be increased by from 10 to 30 per cent. Negotiations on the subject between French and British industrialists arc said to be in progress. Meanwhile, there has so far been no response to the open invitation to other nations to associate them- selves with the Belgo-Dutch tariff reduction agreement.