The Oslo Powers and Freer Trade - The British Government,
like many others, has recently made frequent professions of its desire to secure a reduction of trade barriers. That being so, there is clearly a moral obligation on the Government to give every encouragement in its power to the efforts of the seven States signatory to the Oslo Convention. The conference of the Oslo Powers which ended last week at The Hague succeeded in agreeing on several practical measures towards realising the principles of the Convention ; in particular three of them, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium, agreed to exempt goods from the other signatory States from import restrictions, and received in return an undertaking against an increase of tariffs or restrictions on their goods. This is a practical achieve- ment of some value, and shows what can be done by the method of gradually eliminating or restricting obstacles to trade between a group of States which are agreed to that purpose. As an example to other countries it is extremely encouraging ; it would be of even greater significance if a leading commercial Power, like Great Britain, co-operated in the efforts of the Oslo States. Mr. Walter Runciman said recently, in reply to Sir Arthur Salter, that to join them would be merely to provoke retaliation from other countries ; it is to be hoped that his successor at the Board of Trade will be capable of adopting some less negative attitude.
Previous page
