Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-09
FARMERS FOR PROTECTION.

night.
FARMERS FOR PROTECTION.
More Of Them Before the Ways and
Means Committee Today.
The ways and means committee this morning
listened again to the needs of the farmers in
the way of protection.
s. @. Bowen of Medina, MY, said that he
represented the most important bean-growing
section Of the United States The present duty
OF 10 per cent ad vaiorem does not keep out
foreign beans, nor does the provision in the
Senate bill reach the difficulty. The bean
growers want duty Of so cents busheL The
| consumer would not suffer by the exclusion of
foreign beans.
WANTS PROTECTION FOR BEANS.
8. W. Smith of Albion, N. Y, bean grower,
was willing to protect sugar or rice or any in
dustry in this country, and in return he wanted
protection for beans. The duty should be made
specific. The farmers OF the north had done
more thinking in the last four months than in
years. The only thing that was high was
money, and it was hard enough to get The
farmers had decided that they must be pro-
tected. as were the manufacturers The wit
ness admitted that when the importation OF
beans was the largest the price was always
higher than at other times. He adhered abso-
lutely to this rather paradoIical statement on
cross-examination. But the northern farmers
could not thresh their beans now because Of
the extraordinarily damp season, and when
they were threshed and placed on the market
| the price would drop below the profitable point
and farmers would be discouraged and refrain
from planting next year.
THREAT FROM THE CHAIR MAKERS.
W. j. Colgan of New York opposed the prop
ostion to increase the tax on reed and chair
| cane. The effect Of tax on these articles,
grown mainly in the East Indies. would operate
to protect one monopoly against the interest of
nearly all of the manufacturers of chairs and
cane goods The witness read a letter from q
western chairmaking company protesting
against the proposed advance, saying that the
people were tired Of hearing Of the rings and
monopolies appearing before the congressional
committees and threading to be heard from at
the polls at the next general election.
Representative Flower also read letter from
a baby carriage manufacturer adverse to the
increase of the duties on cane. The witness
said there was now but one firm making chair
cane In this country, and upon their application
the Senate committee had provided for an in
crease of per cent IN the duty. There had
been a trust in the business, and whenever OPP
position developed 1t had cut prices to kill of
their rivals.
THE DUTIES ON PAPER.
Edward c. Rogers of Springfield, Mass,
president of the paper makers association,
addressed the committee relative to the duties
on paper. He said that there were now three
grades of paper-15 cents. 20 cents and rs
cents. The middle grade should be abolished,
rs it was subject to abuse, leaving only the Is
cent and 25 cent grades.
WANTS FREE WOOD PULP.
John L. McCabe of the Norwegian wood pulp
company of New York, an importing concern.
asked to have all the duty on wood pulp re-
moved. The Senate bill sought to increase the
duty 100 per cent, although the present duty on
machine pulp was prohibitory. There was not
enough OF this pulp produced in the United
States to supply the demand. Although the
processes employed here and in Europe we're
identical. yet. owing to some popularity of fiber,
tine American product inferior to the
foreign pulp. About sixty per cent of the
chemical pulp made here was used to make
newspapers. and any increase in the duty would
be felt in the increased price OF the daily
papers Closer inquiries by Gov. Gear brought
out the fact that this increase in the price Of
the daily newspaper was largely a matter of in
ference on the part OF the witness.
AMERICAN WOOD PULP AS GOOD AS THE FOREIGN
Z. l.. Embree of New York. representing the
American wood pulp company, with mills in
thirty-four different states, said that so per
cent of the cost of wood pulp went to labor.
HIS concern paid SIC. 900 coo annually TO their
the previous witness that the quality OF Ameri-
can wood pulp was inferior to the foreign arti-
cle and also the statement that American mills
were not capable of supplying the home con-
sumption. His companys mills were running
on half time because of the large quantities of
that under valuation existed in the
importation OF wood pulp, in contradiction to
a statement Of Mr.. McCabe. He asked for the
following duties: On mechanical pulp. 81. so a
,.nl,A 4
a ton; on bleached chemicals, 81 ton. These
we're substantially the present rates, the only
difference being change from ad valorem to
specific methods of assessment. He had figured
tue duties out for Senator Allison, who, when
preparing the Senate bill, said that he did not
want to increase the duty.
NOTHING LIKE LEATHER.
Mr.. Andrew G. Webster of Boston, represent
ing the shoe and leather interest, made an ar
gument against any increased duty being levied
upon wool de gras or wool grease. He presented
petition signed by democrats and republicans,
free traders and protectionists, In support
of his request. He understood the menhaden
oil men were striving to secure an increased
duty, on the theory that menhaden oil would
be substituted for wool grease ii the duty were
higher but the former was not suitable for the
purpose and would not be used.
George II. Leonard of the oil trade assoca-
ton of Boston also protested against any in
crease OF duty on wool de gras, and, In the
name of the association, asked that it be ad-
mitted free.
j. M. Walker, congressman from the Worces-
ter district in Massachusetts, but q manufac-
turer OF leather in Chicago, said that since de-
gras had come into use it had greatly reduced
tine price of good boots and shoes. There was
no other known substance which would take
the place OF degras. A larger duty would lose
the export trade, which was small now, but In
creasing.
j. r. Lesson, vice president Of the Boston
merchants association; F. W. Breed of the shoe
and leather associat on, and Alden Speare presi-
dent OF the Boston chamber of commerce, sup
ported the statements of the previous witnesses
Mr.. Speare, in behalf of manufacturers of
potato starch, also asked that the duty on dex-
trine be made at least cents pound.
nCEAN pnST SYEUICES