Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1907-06-22
TARIFF Is NULLIFIED
DISTANCE NO LONGER AN ELE-
MENT OF PROTECTION.
American Railroads systematically
Favor Foreign Producers by Deliv-
erng Goods to Interior Points
Cheaper Than Our Own Domestic
Manufacturers Can Ship Them.

Washington, June Am oppor-
tunity is presented, through the
medium of a case pending before the
interstate commerce commission, for
another test of the question whether,
under the interstate commerce law,
exporters of commodities from for
eign countries shall have an advan-
tage over domestic producers on rates
of transportation from seaboard
points to the interior of the United
States. Attention has been called to
the fact that under a decision by the
United States supreme court, made
some years ago, such advantage has
been given foreign producers. There
are limitations that the interstate
commerce commission, as at present
constituted, not only disagrees with
the former supreme court decision,
but also entertains the belief that
abundant opportunity is presented In
the existing law for protecting the in
terests of American producers, or, II
that shall be impossible, to have the
question differently decided if it shall
last resort.
A question is again before the com
mission whether products sent into
the United States from a foreign coun-
try shall be entitled 20 lower
through transportation rate from the
foreign port of shipment through TO
an inland point of destination in this
country than is granted American pro-
ducers or consumers for a much short
er distance of carriage wholly within
the United States. This case Is
brought by manufacturers of plate
glass in Pittsburg. They allege that
In instances which they cite plate
glass obtains a rate of transportation
from Antwerp through to Cincinnati
or Chicago, a distance of more than
5000 miles of 80 cents per 100 pounds,
whereas a rate is charged from Pitts
burg to Cincinnati, distance of only
313 miles, of 26 cents per 100 pounds.
A rate of SO cents per 100 pounds is
also made from Antwerp to points
further into the interior of the United
States, and also through Gulf ports to
Chicago from Antwerp of 80 cents per
100 pounds, whereas the rate from
Pittsburg to Chicago is 80 cents per
100 pounds.
The question raised in this case by
the American producers is whether
they may be Disseminated against by
such rates on foreign plate glass laid
down In the American markets.
AS an economic question, it was
brought out in this hearing that the
plate glass industry of the United
States originated in 1869, whereas it
had been in existence in Europe for
more than 200 years. Thirty years
ago American plate glass production
amounted to about 100000 square feet
whereas the impOrtations of plate
glass at that time aggregated $780,
900 square feet annually. This
gave an annual consumption at that
time of a little more than 100000
square feet of plate glass in the Unit
ed States. At this time the consump-
ton of plate glass amounts to more
than 21000,000 square feet annually
In 1876. the price per square foot OF
plate glass averaged about $3.50. To-
day the average is from 80 to 80 cents.
The reduction in price has been in
large part brought about by the de-
velopment of the domestic plate glass
industry. 1t was also shown that" the
cost OF production of plate glass in
this country is three-fold greater than
it is in Europe