Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 6, 1990                   TAG: 9005080506
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: F2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SUPER 301

The announcement evoked predictable howling in Congress. "I am thunderstruck," said Senate Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia. "Excuse me, Mr. President, but this boggles the mind."

The Japan-bashers' minds are too easily boggled.

Bush's decision puts the United States where it belongs - on the side of freer trade. It also compensates somewhat for a ridiculous agreement America had negotiated recently with Japan. Among its provisions: a tentative agreement by the Japanese to shorten their workweek.

In other words, to help the United States with its trade deficit, Japan agreed to become less industrious. Just think how competitive American industries would be if the rest of the world did that.

Lacking such cooperation, Congress has had to legislate on its own. Thus, under the 1988 Omnibus Trade Act, the administration is required to announce to the world each year which nations are violating fair trade standards - as set by Washington. The guilty are then threatened with trade sanctions.

This exercise in arrogance isn't much appreciated overseas, especially as negotiators for the 97-nation General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade are toiling to improve the global trading system by a December deadline.

Last year, Bush invoked the trade act's "Super 301" provisions against Japan. This year, he rewarded the Japanese for the flurry of trade concessions aimed at lowering America's $49 billion trade deficit with Japan: Bush cited only India under Super 301.

Japan still doesn't open its markets as much as it should. Few countries do - including the United States. But the path of unilateral measures, confrontation and trade war leads surely to economic disaster.

Cooperation, good-old competition and a liberalized trading system are far preferable. They offer better prospect of a world where no one hopes to protect prosperity by inducing someone else to work less hard.