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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1962)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 13. 1962 B 3 Commonwealth Leaders Discuss European C ommon Market By PETER KNOX London -ft'PH- Prime Min--Ister Harold Macmlllin took on one of the great chal lenges of his long career this week. Starting last Monday, he ii meeting with Empire leaden in an attempt to convince them that Britain's negotia tions for entry into the Euro pean common market are not endangering the whole com monwealth idea. . Britain's bid to merge with Europe was the outstanding question up for discussion with the 15 commonwealth prime ministers as they gah- ik-i) Ml MEETS LEADERS - Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, above, took on one of the great challenges of his long career thij week. Starting last Monday, he is meeting Em pire leaders in an attempt to convince them that Britain's negotiations for entry into the European Common Mar ket are not endangering the whole commonwealth idea. (UPI) ered for their 11th meeting since the second world war. .Attending the conference are representatives from the independent commonwealth nations of Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, In dia, Pakistan, Ceylon, Ghana,' Malaya, Nigeria, Cyprus, Si erra Leone, Tanganyika, Ja maica and Trinidad. The fed eration of Rhodesia and Nyasaland have associate sta tus at the talks and several colonies sent observer-delegates because their interests are especially affacted by the common market project. U, S. Bystander -In the wings as interested bystander is the United States, which has a deep in terest in the outcome of Bri tain's common market plans. IOs no secret President Ken nedy wants Britain in. The United States would liRe to see Britain in the mar ket where it could use its in fluence to ensure that the European group keeps to outward-looking trade policies while remaining politically closely linked with Washing ton. The United States be lieves Britain would act as a brake on these Europeans France's President Charles de Gaulle, for one who sees the old continent as a third force in world politics. -The 68-year-old Macmillan who is heavily committed on the home political front to getting Britain into the com mon market, knows that among the commonwealth leaders there are several open. ly hostile to the European idea while the rest are torn with doubt. Macmillan him self believes British member ship will not only make Bri tain stronger, but in the long run also strengthen the com monwealth. The suspicions of the com monwealth leaders are in spired by political and econ omic considerations. Some fear adverse economic reper cussions if they lose the Em. pire preferences that give them a privileged trading po- sition in Europe. Others see the Commonwealth breaking up if trade ties are slackened and Britain becomes en grossed in continental affairs. Muit Convince Macmillan has said repeat edly Britain will not enter the common market without firm guarantees for the com monwealth. Now he must convince the premiers this pledge will be honored. When he announced early in April that he was calling the conference, Macmillan hoped he would have by now the general outline of an agreement with the six com mon market c o u n t r i e s France, Germany, Italy, Hol land, Belgium and Luxem bourg on the terms for Bri tish entry. He wanted to present this agreement to the premiers for their approval before sub mitting it to his own parlia ment in October. This would have permitted him to have the merger settled well in ad vance of 1964 when he muft call new general elections in Britain. The timetable came un stuck mainly because the Bri tish negotiators in Brussels could not get the common market countries to agree to concessions for an important section ol commonwealth trade the farm produce of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Tough Problem The farm problem is a tough one because basically these three old so-called white" dominions produce the same sort of food that Europe can grow itself. Bri tain wants the six market countries to give guarantees that food exporters from these countries will have rea sonable access to the market countries. The six recognize that some privileges must be conceded to commonwealth farm pro duce for a transitional period of several years to permit them to adjust trade, but are reluctant to extend them indefinitely. Because common market negotiations still are not near the final stage s o m e ln formed commentators are wagering 60-40 odds that agreement never will be reached Macmillan can give the premiers only a partial picture of the future. At the same time he must sound them out as to what concessions they might be willing to make to permit Britain to work out a compro mise agreement with the six. If the premiers' conference ends in undisguised disagree ment Macmillan might find it difficult to persuade the sub stantial commonwealth first wing of his own ruling con servative party that Britain 1 should join Europe. MacMillan almost certain ly will need all the diplomatic skill and political patience i have earned him such nick names as "Supermac" and ; "Macwonder." The lineup fac ing him is formidable. Prime Minister Robert Men- zies of Australia, a veteran of many prime ministers' con ferences and a tough and capable debater, is no friend of the common market idea. Menzies sees not only the threat to such Australian ex ports as wheat, meat and canned fruit, but he fears also the political implications of Britain joining the six. He recently told his parlia ment that if Britain became a member of a European fed eration the commonwealth would cease to be an associa tion of "sovereign and fully self-governing states." New Zealand is especially concerned because 95 per cent of her exports are farm products, and half go to Bri tain. The common market countries agree New Zealand needs special protection for her dairy exports, but have not yet worked out details. Canada enjoys one advan tage. The bulk of her impor tant wheat exports are of a special hard type which Europe needs but cannot grow. Canada will, however, almost certainly lost a good market in Britain for manu factured goods. Some African members also are hostile to the common market idea even though they might benefit from it financi ally. The six have offered the African commonwealth coun tries the same free access for tropical products as the for mer French colonics enjoy. But countries like Ghana, Ni geria and Tanganyika are deeply suspicious of aligning themselves with any Euro pean group because of their strong anti-colonial senti ments. The Asian countries are divided in their approach. Malay and Ceylon are little concerned because their main exports tin, rubber, and tea have free access to the com mon market and would not be affected if Britain stayed out or went in. India and Pakistan, on the other hand, fear for the fu ture of their young and grow ing Industries if Britain enters the market. Is Fearful Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, like Menzies one of the real commonwealth vet erans, is reported to be fear ful the commonwealth ties would be seriously weakened if its economic links are loosened. The newer countries in the commonwealth, such as Cy prus and the West Indies is lands, Trinidad and Jamaica, are not expected to make any major objections to British common market policy. All the premiers, however, are expected to be drawn into searching discussion on pos sible alternatives to the com mon market should the Bri tish bid for membership fail. This will strike right at the heart of the problem. In Bri tain the people in favor of entering the common market argue that the whole pattern of world trade is changing and that Britain cannot af ford to be left out of the com mon market grouping because the commondealth offers no alternative. The anti-common market faction, on the other hand, claims that, taken over a 101 year period, trade with the commonwealth has shown a definite increase and that, given some stimulus, it could be expanded. Downward Scale The pro-common market group reply that this may be so but commonwealth trade hit a peak in the mid 1950's and now is on the downward scale again. Trade experts give various reasons for the decline. The commonwealth countries have been trying to diversify their trade outlets and open new markets in view of the possible loss of the privileged British market. The common wealth countries also have been developing their own industries and, in some in stances, putting up protec tive tariffs against manufac tured goods from Britain. Several, too, have had bal ance of payments crises which have forced them to cut back on imports. Whether the commonwealth premiers can come up with some new plan that will per mit MacMillan to think in terms of a future in which Britain does not merge with Europe is one of the un known factors of the confer ence. What seems certain is that Macmillan will do all in his power to convince his fel low delegates that the inter ests of Britain and the commonwealth will best ba served by British entry. 'Winter' Weed Control Program Corvallis - Possibilities of setting up a "winter" weed control program in Chile to supplement summer trials made in Oregon are being studied by Oregon State uni versity. Chile has almost Identical weed problems, crops and cli matic conditions are western Oregon, O S U agricultural leaders pointed out. It lies In the same general latitude south of the equator as Ore gon to the north. The big difference, in fact, is that the reasons are re versed. When it's winter here, it's summer in Chile. To Study Ftatibility Dr. William R. Furtlck, who heads up farm crops weed control research for OSU, will go to Chile this month to study the feasibility of a "sister" herbicide re search program in Chile. His five-week trip is being made at the Invitation of the Chil ean Ministry of Agriculture, which Is concerned with im provement of its weed control work. Expenses for the trip will be shared by chemical com panies who are interested In the program since it would facilitate field trials with new chemicals being tested for crop use. Research stations operated by the Ministry of Agricul ture in Chile would cooperate with Oregon State in the joint program, it has been indicated. Chilean students would be available to help conduct the trials under su pervision of OSU staff mem bers who could go there dur ing the crop season. A number of agriculture students from Chile have done advanced work in farm crops and related fields at Oregon State in the .past. Furtick is one of the na tion's leaders in farm crops weed control. He was presi dent of the Western Weed Conference the past two years and chairman of the Weed Control Division for the Am erican Society of Agronomy in 1961. He has been on the OSU staff since 1950. OPEN MONDAY ami FRIDAY EVENING 'TIL 9 P.M. Jhieire's MSffl PRICES SLASHED! Over 20 Off All Wool or 100 Nylon Carpets! No Money Down CHOOSE NOW and save from over 49 Rolls Sale Priced Carpet! n j int. "(,. . IV jV. S(W 5l. TT VTt ,5 ' - J' ' ' Save 19! Wco! Carpets Adds richness to any room. Durable loop construction. So resilient under footl Moth proofed. 10 rolls to choose from. 9 or 12 ft. wide. Regular 6.95 Sq.Yd. 4 88 Sq.Yd. Save 19! Nylon Carpets 100 continuous filament nylon. 5 Beautiful patterns to choose from. 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