The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-21
The Tariff on Jnte Bagging and Steel Ties

The Tariff on Jute Bagging and Steel Ties
 should be Abolished.
 New Orleans, Nov 2o-(speciaL) )-As part of his comprehensive plan to improve the conditions under which the South mar ksts its annual cotton crop and to reduce the cost of handling. storing. etc. President ". B. Thompson of the New Orleans Cot ton Exchange, recently took up the matter of removing the import duty on Jute bag bers of Congress, and has received llany favorable responses. Yesterday Mir. ThOmp- son In an interview gave his reasons why he advocated no tariff on these commodities as follows:
 T feel much encouraged by the prompt members of Congress have responded to the active movement of the Cotton Exchange started few days ago for the removal of Although only short time has elapsed since we addressed the Congressman, the re- piles received in number and kind give us the assurance that a determined effort will be made to secure the relief and advantage asked for the cotton farmer.
 "I have heard that there isssome opposi- tton to the removal of the duty in question on the part of some of the cotton planters themselves. I cannot think that this oppo- sition comes from mature reflection. As understand it, the contention is made that the duty on jute should be increased instead of being removed to the end that tute could not be used at all for bagging, and that manufacturers would be forced to use cotton in the manufacture of baling stuff.
 Tn the first place It by no means fol- lows that cotton would have to be used If Jute was kept out by prohibitive tariff. Some other product cheaper than cotton would probably be found. But in the sec- ond place even if 1t was possible by legisla- tion to force manufacturers to use cotton, and cotton only in the manufacture of bag ging. I do not see how the farmer would be benefited thereby, and do see how he made from the refuse product of the crop and if a market would thereby be made for stuff that was not before marketable, I rneHld uaa would De used for cotton baling IS already marketable for other purposes nd is made into goods of much greater value than cot ton bagging Or if there wers any other himself. there might be some reason for compelling the use of cotton for this pur- pose. But the farmer Is the only user of bagging and any increase in the cost there him alone. In other words, if the use of cheap baling stuff was prevented by ;eSisla- tion and a more expensive article substitut- ed the farmer and every one else would goods manufactured out of the grades quired for baggtng, and the farmer and the farmer alone would have to pay just that much more for his bagging. The Farmer would get more for a very restricted part of his crop, but he would pay more for the goods now manufactured from this restrict ed portion and more for the baiing of his entire crop. He would thus levy a heavy tax upon himself.
 ''The sound and proper course is to use the cheapest stuff available for baling pur- poses and to make this still cheaper ky removing artificial restrictions An arttft- cial demand for a commodity is productive of no permanent good, and especially not, falls entirely upon the consumer of the commodity protected