Birmingham state herald., 1896-12-30
THE SECOND DAYS HEARING
Cotton Spinnersl Cake Pleas For Their Wares
 Thy Eh Able Takers.
CLOTH MfSRs ARE ALSO ON HAND
Hosiery q g Underwear Manufacturers Ap- pear o in the Interest of Their Prod uq sGeneral Wheeler Puts Some
 f3
 Very Close Interrogatories, Etc.

Washington, Dec. 29.-The second day of the tariff hearings before the commit | tee of ways and means of the house of representatives opened with the discus l sion of schedule I, cotton manufactur- | CTS. There were six members of the committee present when promptly at 10 a. m. the proceedings opened. These were the chairman, Mr. Dingley, of Maine, and Messrs. Payne, of New York, Evans, of Kentucky, and Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, all republicans; and Messrs. MeMillin, of Tennessee, and Wheeler of Alabama. democrats. The first section of the schedule re- lates to the duty on cotton thread and carded yarns and on warps warp yarn. The gentlemen who were present to en- l tighten the committee in regard to those manufacturers were Messrs. Andrew B. | Sanford, R. c. Kerr, and w. D Rowland, representing the Cotton Spinners. asso- | ciation, of Fall River, Mass, and Messrs.
 J. A. Campbell, J. c. Young and P. J. Me- Nally, of Manayunk Penn. MT. Sam ford stated the views of the Cotton Spin- ners' association and was subjected to close questioning on the part of the two democratic members.
 MT. Sanford said that the provisos placed in the present tariff bill had prac-' tically made 1t an ad valorem measure. It was simply impossible for the spin ners of this country to put out any fine yarns. As far as these yarns went the bill was imperative and the mills had been compelled to stop the making of fine yarns and try the making of coarse goods for which their machinery was not adapted. Under the present bill fine yarns imported were undervalued. The manufacture was injured and the gov ernment was deprived of that revenue. The Cotton Spinners' association would be willing to have the present rates on cotton yarns remain If the provisos in the law regarding them were stricken out. The importation of these yarns had in- creased from some 100000 pounds in 1894 to over 100000 pounds this year. The paragraph In the present law conn plained of provides that in no case shall the duty levied exceed cents per pound on yarns valued at not exceeding 20 cents per pound, and not exceeding 15 cents per pound on yarns valued at over 25 cents per pound and not exceeding 40 cents per pound provided, further, that on all yarns valued at more than 40 cents per pound there shall be levied collected and paid a duty of 45 per cent. ad va- lorem.
 s. B. Chase, of Fall River, Mass, spoke for the makers of cotton cloth. They were not sufficiently protected on the fine end of the business, he said and would ask for few amendments to the pres ent law in this direction. They wanted a new classification for cloths exceed ing 300 threads to the square inch, oth- erwise they were satisfied with the pres
 ent duties. They also desired to have goods known as figured weaves' es-
 branch of the industry and the figure doubled the value of the goods. Another matter he wished to call at- tention to was the importation of plain cloth marked off in colored squares the size of handkerchiefs, as handkerchiefs. Fine cloth was imported in this way, dutia ble as common handkerchlefs As soon as imported, these goods were sent to be bleached, the lines taken out, after which they could be used for any pur- pose. In this way great frauds were per- petrated.
 He complained bitterly of ad valorem duties and the under-valuation practiced upon them.
 Answering MT. McMllin he said that l as the process of manufacture improved | the prices of goods fell. Competition I was so sharp in the United States that 1t 1 would keep prices down even if a pro- l hibitory duty was placed on the goods Replying to Mr. Dingey he said that l during the past two years he had been | forced to import fine yarns, as no maker | in this county could supply them at prices as low as at which they could be imported.
 His attention was called by MT. Wheeler, of Alabama, to statements of several authorities to the effect that la- bor was better paid in Europe. He did not agree to this. On the other hand he said he was positive the American Ia- borers (his at leasD were the better paid. Robert Filling, of Philadelphia, a maker of stockings and underwear said that later he would submit statement covering what hose-makers desired The present law was not satisfactory, espec- ially on fashion goods"
 On underwear no change could be ask ed He requested the committee to strike tlx1 rtl <fERTr s1laA 1.tIA all This covered class of "od cut goods made on knitting frames. They were no longer made and could not be sold but if the clause remained 1t might prove a loophoe for fraudulent importations. Referring to labor he said that here 1t was paid four times as much as in Ger many, the great competitor in the stock ing trade.
 For years he said, our people had been struggling to supply the fashion goods' and were beginning to get foothold, but
 under the present tariff law they could
 not succeed The seamless machne," an American invention, was now being | made abroad, and this added greatly to the competition.
 R. w. Cooper. of Olneyville, R. l.. a manufacturer of finer grades of stock ings, asked for a tariff of 40 cents per dozen and 30 per cent ad valorem on all goods costing $150 per dozen and under.
 The cost of making goods here was three times as great as 1t was in Germany and
 the rate asked for would exactly equalize conditions in the two countries and put our people on the same footing His com- pany had been doing business for twelve years and had never paid dividend. It was beginning to get on It's feet under the Mckinley law, but under the present tariff, had just managed to exist. James Talcott, representing the Amer | ican Hosiery company, of New Britain, | Conn, said that under the present tariff | his industry had been very much de- | pressed, and their mill will either be stopped or run on limited production. | His company made him full fashion,, l eoods. Thig class of goods could be mada