Experts Urge U.S. Government To Restrain Japan Auto Trade

Representatives from different sectors of the U.S. automobile industry said yesterday the Federal Government must take action to alleviate a growing imbalance in the U.S. Japan auto trade.

Speaking before an audience of 50 at a Center for International Affairs forum at Emerson Hall, the panelists said that without government intervention, the already extensive Japanese presence in the U.S. auto market will continue to increase.

The Japanese share of auto sales in this country has increased from five per cent in 1970 to its present rate of between 25-27 per cent.

Leo Suslow, director of international affairs for United Auto Workers (UAW), said the government's failure to act would result in "a total recession in the American industry" adding that the Chrysler and American Motors corporations would be forced to shut down.

"The U.S. and Japan should sit down together and agree to limit the cars coming into the U.S.," Robert McElwaine, president of the American International Auto Dealers Association, said. "We have to make laws to insure the competitive sale of goods."

A move by a House Ways and Means subcommittee yesterday reflected the representative's concerns.

The subcommittee voted to support a resolution which would extend the President's power to control foreign auto imports. The resolution, if passed by the House, will authorize the President to enter into negotiations with foreign governments to limit automobile and truck imports.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Ford Corporation brought the issue to Congress in response to an International Trade Commission ruling last week that Japanese automobile imports were not causing serious injury to the domestic car industry.