THE ANGLO-AMERICAN DEBT
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Common sense would surely make everyone agree that Mr. Darling is correct in thinking that we should make every effort to buy as little as possible from the United States, especially as she makes it as difficult as she can for us to sell anything at all to her. Were it not for the difficulty of col- lection, it would be quite reasonable to put a duty on every- thing coming from the United States which it is possible for us to get from any other country in the world. An easy step would be to charge an ad valorem registration tax on all such goods payable at the time of passing the Customs' Entry in the same way as—if I remember rightly—was done in the case of the Registration Tax on Corn for the short period during which it was in existence. Although in itself small, as it should be if it was collected in this way, in the aggregate it would produce a fair amount of Revenue, and it would act as some little incentive to avoid unnecessary purchases in the
United States, and as a slight sti nulus to trade with other countries.
I entirely agree with the remarks made by Mr. Darling concerning the Gold Standard, and in the interests of the nation it is to be devoutly hoped that his views will prevail in opposition to Mr. Kiddy's.—I am, Sir, &c.,
MARK B. F. MAJOR.
Red Lion and Three Cranes Wharf, ,Upper Thames Street, London, E.C. 4.
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