The herald., 1897-01-03
STILL PLEADING
FOR PROTECTION
Before Ways and Means
Committee
SPINHERS OF VEGETABLE FIDERS
Ask for Protection Without Re.
gard to Revenue
RUTHERFORD OF OAKLAND
Wants Farmers TO Pay Him More MeneD
=. for Grain Bags
The Cssst Prosperity Threatened BY Japsseae
Cheap Labor
The Importers Insist That Big DUTY -
Fibers Means Simply Cinch fer
the Trusts-The ArGu-
ments Advanced.
RUTHERFORD OF OAKLAND
Wants Farmers TO Pay Him More MeneD
- for Grain Bags
The cssst Prosperity Threatened BY Japsseae
Cheap Labor
Associated Press spec,a, wire

AsbOCldteu fTesS Special wire
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.-The ways
and means committee devoted the day
listening to those interested in the schsd-
ules covering flax. hemp, tute. mantle
and other vegetable f1bers. The manus
facturers, growers and importers div
played considerable antagonism. Those
who appeared were William Rutherford
Of Oakland, CAL; Crawford Lyon o.
Baltimore; John Wilson Of Newark, N
j.; Leslie Coombs of Lexington. Ky.s
Congressman Van Horn Of Missouris
New York; Congressman-elect Charles
E. Pearoe of st. Louis and John w. Bell
Of Andover, Mass.
William Rutherford of Oakland, Cal.
representing a company which has been
manufacturing twine, yarn and cfoth
for thirty years. was the first speaker.
His request was that yarns made Of juta
be advanced from 80 to IS per cent ad
valorem; second, that burlaps and bags
for grain be transferred to the dutia!ble
list, the section to read: "Burlaps Of any
width, fax, jute or hemp, or Of which
fax. jute or hemp or any Of them shall
be material or of chief value Except
such as may be suitable for bagging for
cotton), 1% cents per pound. Bags for
grain made of burlaps, cents q pound.
Third, that gunny bags and gunny
cloths. old or refuse. fit only for remnants
facture, be changed from the free list
to u a cent per pound.
Rutherford declared the Wilson law
T. = io1 n
social discomfort to the Pacific coast,
but the farmers and manufacturers had
in the last election voted for protection.
knowing 1t would restore prosperity =
them. He described the general use Of
bags on the Pacific coast for shdppine
all kinds Of farm products, even gralns
The Wilson bill as 1t passed the housA
gave Is per cent protection on the 3uts
schedule, but the senate struck out ths
duty and left bags on the free list Un~
der that law the homo market whlok
had taken 45 per cent of its gocds feH
home mills, was given over to the mAnus
face0rers Of Calcutta and Dundee, par
ticularly the former, who were ssaAnlnU
their mile night and day. The induSssyl
of the Pacific coast had been stvtclem
de- There were 800 Idle loemsin Oak
X while New York. New Jersey and
.ehusetts mills have also beam
e. L. Under the operation Of the pr4Ds
ert law horse blankets. plaids, carriage
robes, tarpaulins and print cl,ths wsla
entered free Of duty and came into ooIn-
petition with American products. par
ticularly cottons. They were entered
by virtue of the designation 'other ma>
teria1s" In the jute and hemp schedu5U
of the Wilson bill. although Ameriu1ll
manufacturers had protested agafm1S
such q construction of the law. Mann
| goods entered free were dyed, 70 thAv
| American dyerS were also robbed by eAe
system
The cost Of making burlaps in ~
United States was 6.46 cents . voun1
while the Calcutta make could bepla0s4
in the American market at San 1xenr
cisco or New York at q cost of 49, oonkq
a pound. Mr.. Rutherford alse pointed
| out that Japanese competition was enr
terinE the market One big juts EAU
had transferred its machinery to Japan
| to get the benefit Of Japanese cheao
| labor. One Japanese capitalist endea-
vored to effect q deal by which Mr.. Ruth-
erford's mill would be transferred t.
! Japan, guaranteeing that the labor could
be secured at u cents per. day of thip-
teen hours and coal at 80 cents a tom
1t had been found that foreigners could
not own mills in Japan, however, and
the deal had been abandoned. Rates Tor
water, insurance and taxes were much
higher In the United States. as well ~
labor, than in other countries. so that
| American manufacturers were at dis
/ advantage. Two hundred educated
young men left California In the past
two years for the Central Americas
states to grow coffee. and many others
| had gone to Alaska, because no ezn-
ployment was to befound at home.
| In reply to a questions from Chairman
Dingley Mr. Rutherford said that the
| Mckinley rate of As cents pound on
burlaps was as little as the industry
could prosper under. In answer to =
question by Mr.. Evans Of Kentucky,
whether jute was colored In manufac-
turing to counterfeit hemp, the witness
| said it was not done in California, and
he predicted that flax and hemp in ths
course of two years would be grown
! profitably on the coast With sufdcien(
4 duty ON the manufactured article ~
veuld be glad t. see - ~ ~ : ten&4