"Greater Prosperity Through Greater Foreign Trade"

EUROPEAN U
ECONOMIC ALLIANCES

A Compilation of Information on
International Commercial Policies
After the European War and
Their Effect Upon the Foreign
Trade of the United States

ALSO AN ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN AND UNITED
COMMERCIAL INTER-DEPENDENCE
AND TREATY RELATIONS

Compiled Under the Direction of the
Secretary of the

NATIONAL FOREIGN TRADE COUNCIL
INDIA HOUSE, HANOVER SQUARE

New York City

September 1916

NATIONAL FOREIGN TRADE COUNCIL

The first National Foreign Trade Convention at Washington, May 27-28, 1914, recognized the need of an organization which should "endeavor to co-ordinate the foreign trade activities of the nation," and authorized the creation of the National Foreign Trade Council for that purpose.

The Council has an authorized maximum membership of fifty merchants, manufacturers, farmers, railroad and steamship men and bankers, representing all sections of the United States and collectively standing for the general interest of all elements engaged in foreign trade.

Non-political and non-partisan, its function is investigatory and advisory, and it seeks effectively to co-operate with other organizations in the encouragement of sound national foreign trade policy. Through its committees the Council is constantly investigating, and from time to time publicly reports upon problems arising in oversea commerce.

The membership of the Council is as follows:

CHAIRMAN: JAMES A. FARRELL.. President, United States Steel Corporation, New York City
TREASURER: WALTER L. CLARK..
SECRETARY: ROBERT H. PATCHIN.
JOHN J. ARNOLD.
WILLIS H. BOOTH.
J. A. G. CARSON.
E. A. S. CLARKE.
SAMUEL P. COLT.
MAURICE COSTER.
JOHN CROSBY..
F. G. CROWELL.
ROBERT DOllar.
J. J. DONOVAN.
JOHN F. FITZGERALD..
J. ROGERS FLANNERY...
P. A. S. FRANKLIN.
L. S. GOLDSTEIN.
LLOYD C. GRISCOM
B. F. HARRIS.
FAIRFAX HARRISON.
H. G. HERGET.

LOUIS W. HILL.

HENRY HOWARD.

CHARLES E. JENNINGS.

ALBA B. JOHNSON.

New York City
New York City
Vice-President, First National Bank, Chicago, Ill.
Vice-President, Security Trust & Savings Bank, Los Angeles, Cal.
President, Carson Naval Stores Co., Savannah, Ga.
.President, Lackawanna Steel Co., New York City
President, United States Rubber Co., New York City
. Managing Director, Westinghouse Elec. Exp. Co., New York City
Washburn-Crosby Co., Minneapolis, Minn.
Vice-President, Hall-Baker Grain Co., Kansas City, Mo.
.President, The Robert Dollar Co., San Francisco, Cal.
Vice-President, Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills, Bellingham, Wash.
Boston, Mass
Chairman, Pittsburgh Foreign Trade Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Vice-President, International Mercantile Marine, New York City
New Orleans Association of Commerce, New Orleans, La.
..New York City
Farmer, Champaign, Ill.
.President, Southern Railway Co., Washington, D. C.
.Pekin Wagon Co., Pekin, Ill.
.Chairman, Great Northern Railway Co., St. Paul, Minn.
Vice-President, Merrimac Chemical Co., Boston, Mass.
..President, C. E. Jennings Co., New York City
.President, Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, Pa.
Galveston Cotton Exchange, Galveston, Tex.
.President, International Harvester Corporation, Chicago, Ill.
.President, American Cast Iron Pipe Co., Birmingham, Ala.
General Manager, National Paper and Type Co., New York City
Vice-President, American Locomotive Sales Corporation, N. Y. City
.President, Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk, Va.
.Foreign Manager, General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y.
.President, Seattle Car & Foundry Co., Seattle, Wash.
.Mailler & Quereau, New York City
President, Anaconda Copper Mining Co., New York City
. President, Russe & Burgess, Inc., Memphis, Tenn.
Chairman of Board, Ingersoll-Rand Co., New York City
. President, Charles A. Schieren Co., New York City
.President, Simmons Hardware Co., St. Louis, Mo.
Vice-President, American International Corp., N. Y. City
.Sulzberger & Sons Co., Chicago, Ill.
.President, The S. K. Taylor Lumber Co., Mobile, Ala.
President, U. S. Steel Products Co., New York City.
President, National City Bank, New York City
Vice-President, American Trading Co., New York City
.President, Consolidation Coal Co., Baltimore, Md.
.President, Portland Flouring Mills Co., Portland, Ore.
President, The Willys-Overland Co., Toledo, Ohio
Office of Council, India House, Hanover Square, New York City

D. W. KEMPNER.

CYRUS H. MCCORMICK.
J. R. McWANE.

H. C. LEWIS.

CHAS. H. MUCHNIC...
BARTON MYERS.
M. A. OUDIN.
WILLIAM PIGOTT.
WELDING RING.
JOHN D. RYAN.
WILLIAM H. RUSSE.
W. L. SAUNDERS.
CHARLES A. SCHIEREN.
WALLACE D. SIMMONS.
WILLARD STRAIGHT.
G. F. SULZBERGER.
STEWART K. TAYLOR.
EUGENE P. THOMAS.
F. A. VANDERLIP.
DANIEL WARREN.

J. H. WHEELWRIGHT.
THEO. B. WILCOX...

J. N. WILLYS.

20-13-169

PERSONNEL OF THE COUNCIL.

EDITORIAL NOTE

INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS

· Effect upon the United States....

Tariff Preferences Imply Ability to Negotiate..

New American Sources for Retaliation..

Difficulties of Treaty Making......

Co-operation in Foreign Trade...

Resources of the Alliances.

EVOLUTION OF EUROPEAN COMMERCIAL POLICY, 1815-1915..

Commercial Power-Political Power..

Adam Smith

Effect of German Protectionism.

Most-Favored-Nation Relation

PARIS CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS

Interpretation by French Minister of Commerce..

Participation of British Colonies...

PAGE

2

5

.7-16

9

11

11

13

14

15

.17-22

*17

18

19

20

.23-31

28

29

30

31

.32-34

33

34

.35-36

36

.37-55

.37-49

37

\ 39

41

43

44

44

46

48

48

49-54

49

53

.54-55

54

Tariff Relations of the United States with European Belligerents and Neutrals ....

66

67

67

EUROPEAN INTERDEPENDENCE

.69-73

EUROPEAN TRANSPORTATION RELATIONSHIPS...

.74-76

Foreign Trade Distribution of United States, United Kingdom and Germany

75

AMERICAN FOREIGN TRADE AFFECTED BY THE CONFERENCE.

.77-80

Allies Predominate as a Source of Supply....

77

Changes in Character of United States Foreign Trade.
Export Needs Sustained Supply......

78

79

80

82-83

82

United States Nearly Self-Supporting.

DESTINATION OF EXPORTS

Allies Largest Buyers...

SPECIAL CHARTS :

Chart No. I. United States-Inter-European Commercial Treaty Fabric, Showing Treaties in Effect and Those Abrogated by War, Inserted between pages 68-69

Chart No. II. Commercial Intercourse, United States-Europe.

Inserted between pages 68-69

Chart No. III. Showing Commercial Relations Between England, France, Russia, Germany, U. S. A. and Principal British Dependencies Inserted between pages 76-77 Chart No. IV. Foreign Sources of American Supply and Destination of Exports

.85-118

EDITORIAL NOTE

THIS pamphlet is designed to be expository rather

than argumentative. Its purpose is to bring, in convenient form, to all Americans the essential information concerning changing European commercial policies. It has been compiled as a part of the National Foreign Trade Council's function of investigation of problems arising in foreign trade. No recommendations are included, the Council not having acted upon the issues involved.

As this work goes to press Roumania entered the war on the side of the Entente Allies, but has not yet formally become party to the Economic Alliance.