New-York tribune., 1908-05-19
MANUFACTURERS MEET
NATIONAL .4SSOCI4TION.
Find Cause for Panic IN State
dttacbs on Railroads.


The National Association of Manufacturers IN
its thirteenth annual meeting, yesterday. a, 1
,,-.,so-s ,s.o-is ba5 clashes over trade schools
shin subsidies snd a little furry resarun's "
disposition of a message to cohleie'eee .t,i, ,.
tee Of Congress considering the ocean man o' 80
there was uuanimity Of opinion rhS'rpiis Wy
stand 10 he taken for the advancement OF Ue
general interests OF its members, ana the paper
read were referred committees FOR pracued'
action The message of approval of the bill was
finally sent 10 Washington. instead OF 10 d coii-
rnittee as some members wished
In the reports the actions OF states IN 1he en-
deavor regulate business were held more re-
Epnnsbie for the financial depression OF last au-
zuu7n than the national government; inland water
ways were favored but il was dolefullT declared
mat if The national money is TO be spent upon
batteships and m.litarism there will be none left
for the inland improvements: there was a strong
stand taken for trade schools. but almost
equally strong position taken against them and
The same was regarding demand for ship
subsidies But the demand OF The committee on
interstate commerce for the removal of all bar
Ifers honest commerce the greatest of all
business. needs to-day met with general approval
STATE LEGISLATION BLAMED
There were about 800 members present when the
interstate commerce report was read 10y a b.
fsrquhaT. the chairman OF the committee. The
report sand:
Your committee does not profess to have the
pIete explanation OF the crisis OF 1901 but
when has certainly been uravorable to the values
OF railway stoeks-the attacks MADE against prop
cry OF lnai KIND 10y The legislation of some OF our
states. = ne '2-cent fare' bills, which have been
many cases simple confiscajoIi and the effect OF
prescribing rate at which passengers could only
been shown in the fail of stocks par To less
Inent and in paralysis of railway extension.
our committee IS inclined 10 hold state action
lar more responsible for this than national action.
10 our mind the fashion now prevailing in some
sIarifrs of charging our financial disasters efforts
inake Of the sherman and 1lkns acts something
IONS 70 Their obilgations in the public service, is
, ne mos1 encouraging feature OF the situation is
70 fuI1hes in the way Of hostile enactInens has
aone 90 % much @ 70 open the eyes of the railroad men
MA tio,, a. 90 9.le clear To us-hat the reg
,IIs ~ % nanSperl2ton by the general govern
mem. sI. Ike That Of the currency is bad thing
9f free Transportation. and the elimination of many
torms Of discrimination which expressed the sub
serNlence Of the carriers the large shippers mark
the emancipation of the railroads from slavery
10 abuses 10 which none OF them would return.
MONEY FOR BATTLEsHIPs OPPOSED.
OF The inland waterways proposition the report
AFTER calling attention TO the neglect this
OF transportation. due in a large measure to the
great development Of railroads after the Civil
war and stating that complete system Of river
and canal navigation would be the best gift the
country could bestow upon itself, says:
A fair estimate of the expense Of a deep water
communication between the Gulf of Mexico below
New New orleans and the Great Lakes al Chicago is
calculation and it is claimed that the commercial
Advance by s. bringing the sea the farms
use 1- 01''0S ~ e''H Es
the needs Of internal WATERWAYS a5d to the
preservation OF our natural resources if money
teships and militarisnl. II pays much better
10 sell the foreigner our industrial product than
70 wage with him that investments ought
10 take the former rather than the latter direction
What our business particularly needs just is
the removal Of all barriers to honest commerce, a
@ r@econstructlon Of the phraseology Of the sherman
81 its author, in order that combinations
Variance with the interests of the people should be
permitted. The sherman law has done nothing TO
curtail the power OF the corporations. which
making friendly arT,aneemelts for a division of
1rsffic and by vainlT pointing 10 a false cure to
turn away the attention of The people from the
Need We explain that this is by removal of i'm
port duties from all articles whose production they
monopolize?
After the report had been referred a commit
the committee Industrial education reported
through its chairman Anthony Ittner. of St Louis
IT was a strong plea for trade schools The COM
mittee has prepared bin for The establishment Of
trade schools by cities and towns by the authority
of the legislatures of states and it recommended
that copies be sent TO she governors.
PROMOTING FOREIGN COMMERCE.
George J. Seabury, OF this city then read
paper on ''Our Industrial and Commercial Prob
lens and How to Promote Foreign Commerce
lie told of the efforts get into closer relation
slip with foreign commercial interests and said:
foreign conventions have accomplished absolutely
nothing whatever for American commerce. They
have succeeded however, directly and indirectly in
promoting foreign commerce for European indus
trial and shipping interests but markee
for American export trade Through their methods
in the Hobbies of the Capitol. in which their North
western American allies have ably assisted them.
these foreign conspirators have continuously pre-
vented our shipping bills from being fayoribly
acted upon
Mr.. Seabury urged that the association put itself
upon record as favoring first. subsidized
mail and merchant marine service owned, built
and sailed by Americans; second. permanent
tariff council commission bureau of commerce,
composed Of scientific. industrial. commercial, legal
customs and broad economic experts TO be taken
up now, If possible, advocated among the first
legislation Of the Congress. Third, he favored
the enlargement OF the drawback policy for exports,
include every imported material not produced in
the United States and each revenue taxed product,
and allow the entire duties or revenue tax TO the
manufacturers or exporters. Fourth, he asked for
steps be taken looking to the annulment of the
German Free Trade agreement
plea for a scientific statistical tariff commission