Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-09-21
MAX ADLER TO THE FRONT.

He Speaks In Behalf of the New Eng
land Corset Assoc1at1on-The Pres
ent Law Works te the Benefit of tho
Wage Workers and Manufacturers
COnnecticut's Spool Cotton Indus-
try.
A Washington dispatch last night gives
an interesting resume of the features of
the battle yesterday before the ways and
means committee in Washington waged by
manufacturers who want to save their re-
spective industries from being damaged or
utterly ruined by tariff tinkering and want
the Mckinley protective tariff to remain as
1t is, so far as they and their big force of
workmen are specially concerned. The
battle has for the most part local intsrest
both in Connecticut and New Haven. The
dispatch says:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2O.-To- day the
last days hearing giving by the ways and
means committee found representatives to
the paint and color, corset, thread, car
pets and lead industries before the COM
mittee.
L. E. Holden of Cleveland, O., argued in
opposition to any reduction in the present
duties on lead ores. Free lead ores, he
said, would destroy the industry in this
country and deprive thousands of employ
ment. The capital invested in this indus
try was entitled to the same consideration
as that invested In others, and 1t was un-
just to enact law discriminating against
the miners and in favor of the msnufact-
urers. 1t was in the power of the commit
tee to adjust the tariff for revenue and
protection. The rates on ores could be
placed 30 low as to prevent monopolies and
trusts. The decrease in the price
of silver, he eaid, had been
great set back for the lead mines, and
three-fourths of them were now closed on
this account. The industry was brought
into direct competition with the cheap
"Peon" laborer of Mexico, and he asked
for duty according to the differences In
tai invested, Thres-fourths of the cost of
the ore WAS labor and was entitled to pro
lection.
Hugh Camp of New York, having int T.
esta in lead mining in Missouri and other
points west, spoke in opposition TO any
reduction In the duty on pig iron and lead
ores. He called attention to the difference
in wages here and in Mexico and said it
would be impossible for the industry to
exist here with free ore and pay the pres
emit high wages.
Ans spool coItOn ana nue. yarn Industry
of the United States was represented by
Mr.. A. G. Durham of Hartford, for the
following named companies: ]. & P. Coates,
limited; the CLARK Thread company; the
CLARK Mile End Spool Cotton company the
Willimantic Linen company; the Merrick
Thread company; the Kerr Thread com
pany. He requested that the duty on
spool cotton remain specific and not be re-
duced, stating that any reduction would
not benefit the government or the. con-
sumner and would only enrich the middle.
man at the expense of the manufacturer.
The duty on fine yarns costing forty cents,
he said, should not be changed
Max Adler of New Haven, Conn, seere-
tary of the New England Corset associa-
ton, spoke for the corset industry. They
were satisfied with the present law, but
asked that in case change was made the
finished product be made dutiable at least
10 per cent. over the raw material which
entered into It's composition. He also
asked that 1t be protected to the extent of
other wearing apparel. Ten million dol
lars was invested in the business and about
1900 hands were employed.
DIR. Warner, of the Warner corset manu-
factory in Bridgeport, said that the pres
emit law treated them fairly and asked that
no discrimination be made against them in
the proposed bill; also that the duty on the
finished corset be higher than on the cloths
which enter into their construction. The
corsets imported were of high grades, and
he olassed them among luxuries.