New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-01
THE PEARL BUTTON TARIFF
AN INDUSTRY INCREASED TWENTY FOLD.
SEEKING TO xvADE THE LAW AND TO NIP THE

SEEKING TO EvADE THE LAW AND TO NIP THE
GOOD WORK IN THE BUD.
Under provision OF the Tariff law admitting manu-
lectures Of pearl and she'll not otherwise proviaeo io
at 40 per cent ad valorer EmopeSn manufacturers are
attempting TO import pearl buttons on which 20 per
can't Of the labor has bee performed abroad anu Ao
pretsnce Of completing them here by simply percis
the eyes or afixlng metallic shanks thus evaonhs u'e
protective feature OF the law. which proviueS io "
duty on pearl buttons of l-2 cents per me, Du'o
measure, and 25 per cent ad vaiorem. a ,, GO
of the process Of manufacting pearl buttons, "i"' "
altogether by hand is given below Inc cost Vi ",'".
facture OF pearl buttons in Continental EurVpo ""
largely reduced in recent years by the sPpnos"o -
pauper and convict labor and, on the other manu. u
industry in this country has been greatly SUMMARY
since the passage OF the Mckinley act II tne pieseu
a.tamnt shouh be successful, home factories "ouiu
be again closed to the obvious advantage OF tne io"
elements of European population, and 70 the
ing disadvantage OF reputable class OF mech@nos III
the United States ,s.
a. nrosent deeply interested In the decision 10 90
made by the Treasury Department about VIVA. re"ly
constitutes a pearl button In the meaning oi INC nv
tariff law Prior to the enactment OF 'he "'n,Dies
Act the duty pearl buttons was 20 per o.n' ~
valorcm. This proved to be a protectoh "hi'h "i nv
nroect and for several years prior TO the pasS"eo
the new law the manufacturers were heipless anu :"
most hopeless proprieors Of closed establishments anu
idle machinery Their employees, many OF whon a1ter
long years OF apprenticeship, had come 70 DC sh'l
workmen al the trade scattered IN all uieotoh'
pursung other lines of labor notwithstanding inc iac'
that more pearl buttons used In the unted states
than in any other nation Of the world This condiuoh
as the resnlt Of recent remarkable development OF
Nh. industry In Continental Europe whereby the cheap
est of cheap labor was utilized
For q long period Birmingham, England, was the
central manufacturing point. Though the Unteo STATES
imported largely, own manufacturers, under 'hc
protective tariff maintained fairly successful compen
ton though the wages paid were not regarded as COM
mensurate with the degree of skill employed and the
oroats were only narrow margins above the cost OF
preparing for market
II is said that so recently fifteen years ago Austria
aid not produce more than 10000 gross per annuh'
About that time, however, more attention was paiu W
the industry until in the year Immediately preceding
the passage Of the Mckinley law 1t Is estimated 'ooo
600 gross were turned out by the Austrian manu-
facturers alone One Of the principal stimulating in
finances ia the accomplishment of this result was the
application of convict labor to the industry, similar
experiment having also met with success In France
and Germany.
A lower scale of wages for skilled workmen soon
followed until the paid in Austria reached the
equivalent OF 80 SO per week In our money AS d
consequence the greater plants of Birmingham were
compelled TO shut down through their inability to COM
pete with the Continental of supply, and those
that continued were only maintained by the adoption
of scale of wages which would admit of reasonable
profit to the manufacturer and only accep'eu ny
those whose necessities compelled acquescence
The Austrian Government having provided by law
that convictmad pearl buttons should not be SOLD
for use in that country other markets were sought
and one was readily found in the United States where
80 per cent Of the buttons thus manufactured were
Sold the duty of % per cent al valorem disappear
Ing entirely a protective barrier American conf
petition being thus transferred from England 10
struggle against such heavy odds with Austria, IL was
not long before manufacturers were obliged sub
stantially 10 close their factories retaining only
enough employees to enable them to supply occasional
orders from jobbers, pending the delayed arrival OF
imported stock in periods of unusual activity in tile
market
In 1888 the manufacturers led by e. r. and william
Parsil and Thomas A. Webb of Newark. ~ j. ap-
pcaled to Congress for change in the tariff law where
by the ad vaorem duty should be repealed and special
duty substituted therefor This was asked on the
grounds that such duty would prevent underva!uar
ton and that specific duty would enable manufact-
urers here make goods Of lower grades which under
the law existing then they could not do In compeu-
ton with the pauper and convict labor Of Austria
The request as finally formulated was for 40 per
cent ad valorem duty and specific duty OF cents
per line. A line as II is technically called. Is the
diameter Of button measured on the basis Of one inch
divided into fortieths. To illustrate, egheenline
button would be button measuring eighteen-fortieths
Of inch its face. The specific duty applies
TO the gross and is determined by multiplying in this
case the eighteen lines 1.-THE measurement of one but
ton).by four. representing the number OF cents per
line equallng ~ cents specific duty per gross. The
Republican Senate acted favorably in the subject but
IF course corresponding relief denied In the Demo
cratic House. Last year. however under the McKin-
lev Act, the manufacturers secured that which was
acceptable when provided that the duty should
be on pearl and shell buttons cents per line. but
ton measure Of one-forteth Of inch per gross.
and in addition thereto % per cent ad vaorem.'
The impetus thus afforded caused the reOpenng OF
factories that had been closed and the starting of new
ones in different parts of the country In the opinion
Of Mr. Parsil and Mr. Webb, of the Nassau Pearl
Works Of Newark N j., not more than thirty opera,
tives were engaged In the business in that city year
ago. while between 600 and 700 employed.
These men estimate that the increase has been q
corresponding ratio the country over, and that now
nearly 1000 persons are thus employed. New fac
tories have been opened in Newark, Philadelphia.
Providence and Lynn, Mass, while two have been
started as far West as Wisconsin. Operatives who
were Obliged to abandon the trade in the period of de-
preston have returned TO the more eongenal pursuit
to which they apprenticed in their youth. and TO
the better wages which the occupation affords IT is
related that men applied for work who had
while learned other trades. Some had worked as
cardrvers and conductors and some, unable TO find
other employment had worked in stone quarrles Pend
Ing the enactment Of the law, immense invoices of
pearl buttons imported at the old rate of duty
and it will require time to distribute this stock.
Manufacturers believe however. that if evasion Of
the law is permitted the industry will within reason
able period afford employment for 10000 skilled
mechanics throughout the United states.
The cause of the present apprehension and uncer-
tain feeling among manufacturers grows out Of an
attempt to secure the admission Of goods under
another paragraph Of the law which provides that
the duty shall be manufactures Of ivory, mother
of pearl and shell, or of which these substances or
either OF them is the component material Of chief
value not specially provided for in this act, 40 per
ccntum al vaorem.'
peculiar Characteristic Of the trade exists IN the
fact that pearl button is essentially q handmade
product For 200 years the business has been carried
on in England and for thirtyfve years 1t has been
more or less pursued in America yet no improve