Evening star., 1901-11-19
LOCAL IMPROVEMENT
Representative Roberts Favors Liberal
Appropria ions for the District,
FUTURE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
The Tariff Question and Reciprocity
Treaties Discussed.
N G A r A g q A CA N L
N G A r A G u CAN A

n G A r qua NAL
II want to see Washington developed to
the full extent of it's possibilities, and to
that end all measures in Congress shall
have my hearty support" saio Representa-
tive Ernest w. Roberts of Massachusetts
to Star man this morning. II have al
ways favored liberal appropriations for the
District of Columbia, and such bills as
may come up this session for the expendi-
ture Of funds for improvements which are
needed will be furthered by me-
Mr Roberts Is serving his second term,
and served three sessions in the Massa-
chusetts legislature and two in the state
senate. While in these bodies he served
on committees which had to do with mu-
nicipal improvements and the subject is
one of interest and knowledge to him.
Il was walking in the vicinity of the
Capitol with Representative Tawney few
days ago. continued Mr.. Roberts, land the
question of municipal improvements was
under discussiun. He agreed with me that
a good index to public sentiment among the
people at large upon this highly important
matter was the Congressional Library
pulldlng. This is very expensive build
ing, but 1 have yet to hear words other
than those of graduation that Wash
ington has 1t as a useful ornament to a
beautiful city. 1 adhere to the opinion that
all future buildings to be erected here for
government use must be elegant and serv-
iceable. 1t is due the people of the entire
country, as well as the residents of the
capital, that while wasteful extravaganza
Is not TO De permitted. there should be no
curta1lment Of appropriations upon the mis-
taken theory OF economy on structures
which are at once national monuments and
seryiceable administrative buildings
q I'M cr1o =
we drop our babies in a bath tub we do not
lose sight of the baby, for the improved
water supply for Washington will give the
city clear water at all seasons, it is be-
ton or water supply for cities, and wish
washington to have the best, in fact the
pest OF everything in the way of munich
pal improvements
The Tariff Question
Mr. Roberts comes from one of the large
shoe and other manufacturing districts in
Massachusetts,, which would be vitally In
terested in any modification of the tariff
on hides and pig iron and steel ingots In
response to question for his views as to
the probable action of Congress at this ses-
sion on the tariff he said:
There will undoubtedly be very great on
position to the consideration of the tariff
question, and 1t is hard to say what will be
done at this time. Without going into an
L
say that the abolition of the tariff on pig
iron and steel tngotS would work reyo-
luton In the iron manufacturing interests
in New England. We could turn out an
enormously Increased number of manufac-
tured iron and steel articles, and give en-
ployment to thousands of skilled Workmen
at good wages 1 do not think that with
the tariff off a single workman In these in
dustries would suffer, but that the contrary
would be the case. do not think that the
wages OF the operatives in the pig iron in
dustry would be affected to any degree In
the product of the raw material there are
comparatively few workmen employed. 1t
Is in the product Of the manufactured ar
tfcle in which the great bulk of men are
occupied, and any reduction of the tariff on
manufactured articles would seriously af-
feet them, and to that am opposed. Here
Is where our labor gets the benefit of the
tariff as their products are hand products"
Reciprocity and Free Hides.
Mr.. Roberts was asked why it is that
American tanners can sell hides in Euro
cheaper than they can to the manufacturers
in New England
The question Of the abolition of the duty
OF 10 per cent upon hides may be consid-
cred analogous to that Of the reduction of
the duty on pig iron in its effect upon the
manufacturer, the workman and the con-
sumer,' he answered. "The shoe industry
Of this country is one of the gr. atest fields
in which labor Is employed, and 1t vitally
anects the consumer, for We all must have
shoes. Our manufacturers pay this Is per
cent duty, but the farmer gets no more for
his cattle The cattle raisers of the west
and the big packing houses there were the
nrmest supporters OF this duty, but it has
not advanced the price Of cattle, and the
farmers are now beginning to acknowledge
1t. There Is really no hide industry in this
country to protect The bulk Of our i'm
ported hides comes from South America
n 70 of,
Lynn, for example, hide for 81 plus the
10 per cent duty. The manufa cturer has to
add this 10 per cent to the manufactured
article and the consumer pays it.
THE same tanner will sell a hide to Ger
man manufacturers at 81, for example, but
he does not add the IL per cent Two or
three per cent covers the cost of oceanic
transportation, so the foreign manufacturer
is enabled to sell his finished article at, saw.
II per cent less in the open markets Of
the world than the American. We want
foreign markets for our output. and must
have them. The combined shoe trade can
manufacture in eight months all of the
shoes we can wear at home in twelve
months. Just think what it would mean to
panufacturer and operative If, to supply
foreign markets, the factories could be kept
busy the whole year. The cost to the con-
sumer would be lessened not only the tx
per cent of duty, were 1t removed, but he
would get the benefit OF lessened cost bv
reason of the manufacturers having a
steady and continuous market for their ont
put. and the operatives would get a benefit
In steady wages, and regular employment.
On every dollars worth Of imported hides
sold abroad the tanner gets rebate of
the 15 per cent duty at our custom houses.
and thus he sells to foreign manufacturers
at that much less than to home consumers
New ENGLAND therefore, has all to gain
by the modification Of the tariff on pig iron
and on hides. What her manufacturers
will receive. however, remains to be seen
Internal Revenue and the Canal.
You may say" continued Mr. Roberts,
that our people are practically a unit on
the building Of the isthmian canal by Amer
lean money and protected by American
guns. In speeches before our constituents
the question OF the canal arouses positive
enthusiasm. That plank in our republican
state platform this year was one of the
most popular. We want the canal, that
we may reach expeditiously the markets
Of the east and trans-Pacific, and it will
be by means Of the canal that our manufac-
turers can ship their goods in competition
with those of foreign make. I look for
speedy action on the bill in Congress.
1.-THE most yexatious Of the items on the
war revenue bill were stricken out last
year I think the people are agreed ,,non