The Indianapolis journal., 1893-09-16
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
Importers and Manufacturers
Speak in Their Interest.
Former Want Foreign Goods Admitted
Free and the Latter Want Pro-
lection for Their WOrkmen.

WASHINGTON. Sept. l5.-The capacity of
the ways and means committee room was
severely taxed to-day. as fifty gentleme n.
representing the various industries. were
on hand. The frst speaker was Maurice
Lowy. of HeiDze. Lowy Il CO.. of New
York, importers of hosiery and gloves. He
asked for a sspecitic duty on hosiery and
gloves in preference To an al yaIore n
duty. j. Ii. Smith also spoke for the i'm
porters.
The next hour was allotted to the Manu-
facturers' Club in Philadelphia. and Mr..
owen Osborne argued for the retention of
duties on cotton goods. He declared that
the number OF factories engaged In this
industry had greatly increased since the
passage of tn, present tariff law. Cotton
goods are from 10 TO % per cent. cheaper
than formerly and wages have not been re-
duced but in many instances increased.
Titus Sheard chnmpioned the knit-gocds
industry. He declared that thls industry
had grown TO an enormous extent under
the protective system Mr.. Sneard favoreh
tue system of al valorem and specihc duties
combined. and asked that the duties DO
permitted to remain as they now are.
Fred +. Kip. of Bridgeport. Conn. next
took the floor in the interest of the pinsh
and velvet industry. He declared that
American manufacturers paid their work
men 10 per cent more wages than was PAID
In foreign countries for the same GLASS or
labor He was well satisfied with the
specific and ad valOrem duties now I'm posed,
and SAID that if they were removed it
would int1Ict great in Jury on the wage
earners employ ed In this industry.
j. Sanford. re presenting the cotton yarn
industry. declared that prices are lower
now than at ony time In the past IF the
tariff were reduced 1t would be necessary
to decrease the wages OF wOrkmen." said he.
). Is. Chase also spoke for the cotton In
dustry. He wanted no chan ge in the tariff
schedules but would rather. if change
must he made have reduction than to
have all advance in ad valOrem duties.
j. OConnelI. New York importer of KNIT
goods, wanted a specific duty. He SAID the
ad valOrem duty opened too many avenues
for fraud.
Gustave Blumenthal. of New York. was
heard lu the interest of the importers of
: buttons he thought the tariff on buttons
was too high. and SAID that the tariff under
the old law was sufficiently high TO pro-
tect manufacturers here. The speaker as
serted that not a bit of convict labor enters
into the manufacture OF pearl buttons In
Austria. Therefore. this duty is much
too nigh and Is q prOhibitive tariff, In Of
feet"
Richard Rauh, of New York, appeared in
the interest of importers of felt. He
wanted feits transferred to the wool sched =
ule. and said he was willing to pay what
ever tariff was imposed on wool.
A. T.. Raymond. an attorney. represented
the National Pearl Button Association. MIR.
Raymond said that the labor cost of the
products averages 81 per cent: that there
were from seven To ten thousand people en-
ployed In the industry; that the average
wages paid to American laborers Is 1877 per
cent. higher than the wages paid TO fore IN
workers; that prices have not been In
creased TO consumers since the act of 1890.
He WAS satisfied with tho present duty on
pearl buttons.
Charles Bruce. of New York. gold beater.
argued for high protective tariff on the
product of he industry be represented
II. NJ. Reyser and w. II. Rutty. import
ers of kid gloves, opposed the present tariff
duty on kid gloves
Christian Schmidt wanted the raw m a
terial entering into the manufacture of
straw hats admitted free OF duty.
+. X. Riddle, representing the linen ass0-
citation. said that this associacion i'm ported
about IS per cent. Of oil the linens which
were imported to rhe-6 nited States. The as
sociation desired to have a uniform rate of
duty imposed on all classes OF linens
H. ID. Cooper. of New York. wanted ad
valorem duties on jute and burlaps.
T.. G. FrIsbe. of Hsrtford, asked the COM
mittee TO modify the duty on Llebig's ex.
tract of nsat