The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-18
TARIFF ON PEANUTS
BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUbs ASK FOR FURTHER PROTECTION.
Anhoueh Eight Southern stntes suppiy Practically Entire Crop of Pea-
 nuts, Only Two ef These
 Were Represented ht Hearing.

washIngton, Dec, 1.-The peanut in-. dustry, as affected by the tariff, was under discussion at today's hearing be- ] fore the House Ways and Means com mittee.
 Democrats and Republicans joined In
 asking for further protection for the | peanut growers, and the Republican | members of the committee took the | opportunity to make political capital | from the request for an increase or | orA and one-half cent in the duty oy | Virginia growers.
 l Although 1t was claimed by the Wit | nesses that eight southern states sup ply practically the entire crop Of pea nuts, North Carolina and the old | Dominion only were represented Representative Maynard and Lassi- l ter, Democrats of Virginia and AlVah H. Martin. Republican National Com l mitteennan from Virginia supported the efforts of the Virginia growers J. F. Holland and C. F. Day. of smithtieid and Representative Clark of North Carolina also asked for the increase in the, duty. The principal claim made by the peanut growers Is that the peanuts imported from Japan. Spain and other countries are a serious menace to the American industry. MT, Martir told the committee that the I growers in Virginia receive. three and | one-half cents a pound for their peaf nuts. a price which hardly pays for the | labor, he said.
 "The present duty on peanuts is half
 a cent pound and the delegation from | Virginia asked that this be increased I to two cents MT. Day said that there l were many kinds Of peanuts imported | Into Virginia last year from Japan. The present duty is absolutely in-
 adequate to meet the present condt- | tions," said the witness. We want a I duty of two cents q pound" I Representative Dalzell, Republican ot | Pennsylvania. asked the witness if he | Is q protectionist.
 ''No." replied Mir. Day.
 "Do you believe that anything not raised in Virginia should be protectedT' "Yes: but I could not say what, "po you thing" MT. DaIsell aueried, 1 that an increase of 300 per cent In | the duty in peanuts Is a reasonable | redue6t to make of this committeer l Champ Clark, of Missouri. wantei to | know of the witness if the Virginia peanut growers had not heard that the l steel and other industries were reaptng | large profits from the tariff, and that | they want a share of ''the pie.Y T will admit that for the sake Of
 arsument.r said Mr. Holland.
 Then Mfr. Clark wanted to know who | gets the difference between the three l and one-half cents a pound paid the | peanut growers and the retail price Of | twenty-five cents a pound.
 '"rhe situation is just this" said I Representative Clark: When we get | the Republicans on this Ways anu Means Committee in favor of revising the tariff downward. you come up here and not only get them back to whore | they were. but lift them out of their | shoes"
 | Matthew woil representing the photo I engravers argued for protection from I the working mans viewpoint. He da~
 clared that the importation of foreign photo engravers manufacturers has had
 a serious effect on the market for the American article. He desired an in- | crease in the duty.