Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-08-30
HEAVY TARIFF TAX.
AMERICAN WOMEN PAY BIG TRL
Butte TO TRUSTS.
Enormous Profits on Silks are Taken
From the Pockets Of the House.
wife-Addition Also to High
Price of Necessities.

thSS W fNSSSoottfSHs
The silk industry is not prospecting,
In spite of tariff duties on manufac-
tured silk of so. to 221.27 per cent.
Raw silk is free of duty, SO there is
nothing in the way of free raw ma
terials. 1t appears that the protected
silk manufacturers have killed the
goose-the great American woman
goose-who has heretofore laid the
golden eggs for the benefit of the silk
and other protected people. The
anxiety of these dear geese of ours for
the bargain counter has induced man.
ufacturers to sacrifice quality and to
adulterate the silk to meet the de.
mand for cheapness. The lovely
geese, however, who easily bite the
first time and often the second time
at what Is on the face of 1t a great
bargain, have at least discovered that
49 cent silk will not wear like thai
they used to pay SO cents for and
therefore most of them no longer buy
1t. So cheap silk naturally went out
of fashion, with the result that the
manufacturers, the jobbers and many
departmental stores are over-stocked
with shoddy silk goods which the wise
geese refuse to lay down their golden
eggs, or their equivalent currency for.
There will still be a lot of these
cheap silk dress goods sold, but mos,
of them are dear at any price, for
they do not wear or even look as good
as wool, or cotton fabrics, at an
equivalent price, which our dear
geese have discovered to their cost.
Now for the political side of the
breakdown Of a highly protected in.
dustry and this the dear geese who
skirmish for bargains should carefully
note. The enormous tariff rates, which
allow our silk manufacturers virtual.
ly to control the home market, be.
aus foreign manufacturers could not
pay the tariff duties, which on the
average are nearly as great as the
original cost, has led to over-produc.
ton and many of the smaller manufac.
turers have gone under" in the keen
competition to sell at any price. The
surplus stock cannot be dumped in
foreign markets, for the geese there
appear to be wiser than those here
and refuse to buy American silk OF
poor quality when they can get bet.
ter goods at less price, for they have
no such %exorbitant tariff to force up
prices and the competition of French
and English manufacturers regulate
prices to a reasonable basis, and the
cheap Japanese and China silks also
compete.
In this country such goods must pay
from 30 to 200 per cent. duty, so, OF
course, but little is imported, except
of such quality and class as the Amer.
lean manufacturer does not make.
There was, however, $751; 1922, 655 Of
silk manufactures imported last year
and upon that there was $17,010,13
paid in tariff duties. There was also
$61,054,S36 of raw silk imported upon
which no duty was paid, but when
this raw silk had been manufactured
into dress goods the price it was sold
to these dear geese of ours had in
creased to nearly 5000, 000, 900, and at
least 100000, 900 was extra profit on
account of the tariff protection to the
silk manufacturers. If we knew how
many and how much each dear goose
had purchased we could figure just
how much the tariff on silk had cost
her. 1t is safe to say, however, that
on every dress piece of imported silk
more than half that is paid is tariff
duty and on the cheap home manufac
tured silk nearly the same increased
price is due to protection.
In the present struggle to market
their overstock this tariff profit is nc
doubt being disregarded, but the sur
plus has been forced off at bargain
prices and the silk trade resumes Its
normal condition, the manufacturers
will resume their large profits ant
those who were able to weather the
storm will make up for losses now
being encountered.
This silk tariff Is but one of the
ways that the American woman Is
taxed by the tariff and this only or
an article of luxury, but nearly all ne
cessities are likewise taxed and the
protected manufacturers get increased
profits, with but a small percentage
going to Uncle Sam.
No one knows better than the Amer
can housewife that the cost of livinl
has advanced 4S per cent. since 1S9'
when the present tariff law went int
effect and this great increase in tn,
price of necessities cramps tn,
amount that can be expended for lux
uries of which silk is but one item.
When the tariff is revised, SO tina
the enormous protection to trusts
combines and manufacturers is re
duced or eliminated while still retain
ing enough tariff duties to support tn,
government, then the American won
an will have mor left to spend TO
good quality clothes, instead of wear
ing herself out hunting bargains tina
are usually shoddy.
America has not produced a NOR
ardent protectionist than William Nc