Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-31

The Tariff Hearing of the Ways and
Means Committee Today.

Although the ways and means committee had
assigned today to the hearing of persons inter-
ested in the manufacture of glass and earthen
ware. the committee first listened to an argu-
ment from Robert NJ. Thompson of New York
in favor of the free importation of copper ore
intended for expectation as refined copper.
Jesse B. HINES OF Philadelphia asked for an
increased duty on china clay. Vim. N. Wilson
of South Carolina advocated the restoration of
the duty imposed upon clay previous to the law
tect the white man Of the south, and in pro-
tecting him it would protect the colored man.
FOREIGN GLASS TAKING THE PLACE OF AMERICAN
GLASS.
L. L. Bodine of New Jersey impressed upon
the committee the necessity of restoring the
rates of duty which prevailed prior to 1883 on
cylinder window glass and bottles, green and
French. Since the act of 1888 foreign glass
had been taking the place of American glass,
although there existed in the United States
furnaces enough to produce glass for the whole
country.
J. Moses of Trenton. Nj, representing the
potters of the United States, argued for the re-
enactment of the package clause as far as it
applied to earthenware.
THINKS THE POTTERY INDUSTRY WAS NEVER AD-
EQUATELY PROTECTED.
Ex-Congressman j. Hart Brewer of Trenton
also representing the potters, thought all the
trouble grew out of the system of advalorem
duties. The pottery industry had never been
adequately protected. II had maintained its
market not because of the duty. but because of
its locality and because of certain STYLES which
had been produced and which had pleased the
public taste. II was his honest opinion that
if something was not done to check the impor-
tation of German goods bohemian wares would
have the market of the United States within
five years and the American potteries would
have to succumb or woald have to reduce the
wages of labor very materially. The only
son the foreign manufacturers did not sell all
the goods used in the United States that
they not able at the present time to pro-
duce them. He advocated the re-establish-
ment of the Package clause" and without re-
commencing it for such a recommendation
might lead to long argument) he favored
compound duty on pottery, partly specific and
partly ad valorem, like the duty on wooden
goods.
THE TILE INDUSTRY.
J. C. Aldrich Of Pittsburg, representing the
tile industry, favored revision OF the tariff SO
far as the classification of that article was con-
cerned, and also an increase of duty on what
was known as the plain tile. He thought that
a different classification would prevent the UNI
LIBERALIZATION which now occurred through (in
many cases) the ignorance OF custom-house
officials.
THE SODA ASH MANUFACTURE.
After brief recess the committee listened
to an argument from Geo. A. Macbeth OF Pitts
burg, who is a manufacturer of lamp glass. He
stated that he manufactured 200 STYLES of
lamp glass, and OF that two hundred styles only
twenty were competed with by foreign pro-
ducers. One of the principal articles used in
his business was soda ash which
now. bore, a duty OF % per cent, and
he favored the reduction of the duty on that
article. He would take the duty received from
soda ash last year and buy the soda ash manu-
factory at Syracuse four times over. He
bought foreign soda ash. though
he could get the domestic ash
cheaper. He thought of going into
the business Of making soda ash, and believed
that he could manufacture it at the rate of 60
cents hundred pounds. The present price
was S1.45 The location of factory was an.
essential feature in the manufacture OF soda
ash.