Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-16
FOR PROTECTION TO CHICORY
Reasons why There Should BE II Duty
on the Foreign Article.

on the Foreign Article.
WASHINGTON, May 15.-(Special)-T
American Chicory company and the German
Chicory company of Omaha have presented
to the finance committee of the senate C
brief of argument for a duty of at least /
cent per pound upon chicory root raw dried
or undried, but unground. 1t is shown that
certain manufacturing interests are endeav-
oring to have this provision of the Dingley
bill stricken out claiming that the chicory
described is raw material" and should not
be made to suffer a tariff import. The brief
answer this directly, first showing that
chcory can be successfully raised in the
United States. and then that raw or undried
chicory cannot be imported for the reason
that it's weight bulk and tendency to de
struction from natural causes make the i'm
portatiOn too expensive, uncertain and risky
to Justify the attempt The dried, but un-
ground and unrOasted root has already
passed through the most expensive stage of
manufacture, the kiln drying, which process
includes 80 per cent of the entire cost of
manufacture. The assertion of eastern man
ufacturers that the proposed import duty on
the dried ChicOry root will compel them to
close their factories, throwing labor out OF
employment is denied. The Omaha firms
argue that "chicory can be raised, harvested
and put through the drying process of man
ufacture, imported and laid down in the
eastern factories at least | cent pGr pound
cheaper than at present 1t can be ;hus pro
duced and partly manufactured In the United
States The proposed import duty, therefor
only equali2es matters as between eastern
and western manufacturers. With the duty,
it is a question of fair competition between
them Without the duty the western man
ufacturers must cease business
WOULD INCREASE LABOR EMPLOYED
"But IL Il were true that the proposed
duty would prevent the eastern manufactur-
prt,n tbn Irta oh
the result would not be restriction of EN-
ployment of capital and labor. Vastly more
labor and more people are interested IN
growing the chcory root than in that part
Of the manufacturing process conducted by
the eastern manufacturers. Where the east
ern manufacturers at present employ one
hand there are from fifteen to twenty hands
| employed in growing the crop. Further
more, the growing of the crop is the devel
| opment OF a new industry, profitable to tn,
| agricultural element In our population
which at the present time is entitled to the
highest consideration. Again. the proposed
| protective duty Will result in the develop
| ment of the manufacturing business whereby
| not only will capital be employed. but large
| numbers of lnhorers greatly in excess O
the number employed at present by the east
ern manufacturers.
In the state of Nebraska alone two kilnl
| for drying the chicory root are now in opera
| tion one having capacity of 160 900 pound!
and the other of 40, 900 pounds per day. An
| other kiln 10 now in process OF construction
and the erection of others is contemplated
provided the tarin protection be granted.
| Again II IT be admitted that the propose
| duty would prevent Importation II does no
| follow that the eastern manufacturers woul
| go out OF business. They would be require,
simply to extend their manufacturing bus
| mess to the whole process and the complet
| manufacture OF the home-produced raw roo
into the fully manufactured chicor
product"
| MATERIAL REASONS GIVEN.
Among the material reasons given in fayo
| OF the proposed duty the brief sets out
"DuTng the year ending June 30, 1885,
| Is, SAL ,955 pounds of dried chicory root weT
| imported into the United States free of duty
| A tarlff OF cent per pound upon the drie
chicory root thus imported would have pre-
| duced a revenue OF sl5S4 4l955, being STA
057.l7 more than the revenue received fC