Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-09
MORE DUTY ON CLASSW ARE
Schedules Presented to the Committee on
Ways and Means
WORKMEN SAY PRESENT RATE IS TOO LOW
Cost of Finished Product, Principally
Labor and Reduced Prices, Due
to Competition, Come Out
of the Laborcr.
HoRKMEN SAY PRESENT RATE IS TOO LOW

| WASHINGTON, Jan. S.-The schedule of
the tariff including earthenware glassware,
| marble and stone brought fewer business
men to the ways and means committee than
had the other schedules considered this week.
f. w. Walker of Beaver Falls spoke asking
for a restoration of specific duties. On the
tiles now paying % per cent he recon-
| mended 10 cents per square foot or cents a
pound; on those now paying 40 per cent, 20
cents a square foot or 6 cents pound.
There was a large delegation of glass
blowers, representing the worSmen OF the
United States in the committee room. For
them Louis Arlington of Alton, ILL.,, an
nounced that-they desired the re-enactment
of the Mckinley rates.
Edgar A. Gard of Streator. ILL.,, read
statement describing the Generalization of
| the glass bottle blowers business, brought
about by the Wilson act. Under the Nc
Kinley act the business had increased three
| fold while with the improved methods of
| manufacture the prices had fallen 20 per
| cent. Under the Wilson law prices of bot
| ties had decreased from II to 40 per cent
and the lose had fallen mainly on the work
men of the country, whose wages had been
| decreased 10 to 20 per cent and the hours
of labor increased almost beyond human en-
durance. The chief item of cost in the pro-
| duction OF bottles was labor, and with free
! bottles the foreign makers could undersell
! the home producers. He recommended that
| the bottles in which wines, liquors and
mineral waters were imported should pay
| the same duty levied on empty bottles, as
well as the duties on the contents. The
manufacturers had demanded a 80 per cent
| reduction in wages, but through the or
ganiZation the blowers had been able to
resist that demand. Wages in the best times
averaged So a day and the mortality amons
| the blowers was great, the average age at
| death being 3S years. The maximum wages
| of blowers was SO a day, but they could not
secure work throughout the year The mimi
| mum earnings were about IS a week.
In response to question by Mr.. Turner
| the speaker said that the question of wages,
| hours and apprentices was arranged by arbI-
| tration. The number of apprentices was
limited to one-third the number of journey
| men.
The chief official of the organization of
flint and lime glass workers. w. ]. Smith of
| Pittsburg, asked for a tariff which would
| secure the manufacture of the American
| used goods by American workmen. The capl-
| tai invested in the industry in the United
| States was $4,000 OOO the annual production
| of about the same value and the number of
workmen employed 10000. In the fiscal
| year 1898 the American production had fallen
| off 20 per cent, while the impOrtatlons had
been 3,6O5,0OO articles.
RATES OF DUTY ASKED
The competitors of the United States were
England, France, Germany, Belgium and
| Australia, particularly Australia or Bohemia.
| Comparisons OF labor Ccst on lamp chimneys
| were given. An excellent example was
| Argand chimneys, on which the foreign
labor cost was cents a dozen, American
| labor cost 2S cents importers selling them
| in New York for 20 cents. The wOrkeIH
asked higher rates than had been given in
any previous bill. The rates asked were:
| On articles of glassware or crystal nodded
| or cast in molCs, not gilded or decorated, 3
| cents per pound, equal to 60 per cent ad
| valorem, present rate 40 per cent; on glaeS-
| ware, crystal or opal blown with or without
| a mold, cut, stained, engraved or otherwise
| Ornamental cents a pound, equal to 95
| per cent ad yalorem.
NJ. Il. Dorninger presented a petition from
the Glass Manufacturers association. 1t
! asks specific instead OF ad valnrem duties
| for a rate OF "blanks" of 10 cents pound
| and so per cent ad valorem. The factories
| in the United States, he said, employ 1000
men and have an annual production OF
| 81 900 00O The wages In the United States
are $1S week; in Germany, So; Belgium, So.
Attention was called to the evil of agents in
| the United States for foreign housee through
whom systematic differentiation was prac-
| ticed.
f. L. Bodine of Philadelphia spoke for
| manufacturers OF cylinder window glass and
green and flint bottling glass. lie repre-
sented that half OF tine manufacturers in the
| United States were today bankrupt, although
| they would not admit II, as result OF the
| Wilson law. without protection they could
not continue to do business with the Amerl-
can rate OF wages.
| EMPLOYED ON REDUCED TIME
| Il. J. Whitehead OF Trenton declared that
| Tot more than One-third CT the Trenton oper-
atlyes had been employed during the past
| two years, and those on reduced time
! Rates equivalent TO the Mckinley scale were
| desirable. y. A. Stevenson OF East LIVER
pool, o.. told a similar story in answer to
| a question from Mr.. Grosyenor. He said the
workers received as fair share Of the profits
of the business under the Wilson law as
they had under the Mckinney law. He said
that unles9 something was done for work
men their condition would be terrible and
| concluded IL Will say on my own respOns-
bllty, and for these | represent. that II
such tariff is not given the manufacturers
as will enable them to pay fair wages. fear
| for the future OF the republican party"
Congressman Taylor Of Ohio who repre-
| gents McKinleya old district. spoke as an
| expert on potteres. Incidentally he re-
| marked that the senators in charge OF the
! Wilson bill had promised that II a strike
then pending among the potters wa9 settled
the rates would be advanced 10 40 per cent
on plain and 45 per cent on decorated wares.
| The strike WAS settled, but the senators were
4 "a ba no