Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-07
NILES TESTIFIES ON TARIFF
Principal Witness Before House
Ways and Means Committee,
REFERS TO DOZEN TRUSTS
"a stone Labeled ns Bread IL
What the FRrmer IL Given
by the DinEIey
Law.

for tariff reduction, Herbert Il. Miles OF
Racine, Wis, chairman of the tariff COM
mittee Of the National Association of
Manufacturers was the principal witness
before the house ways and means commit-
tee yesterday. He was on the stand five
hours and will again appear next Tues
day. He was severely questioned by re-
publicans and democrats alike and his
remarks caused considerable discussion
of the attitude of the political parties
in respect to the tariff revision. He
compared the percentage of the prices
OF certain articles which represented the
labor cost with the percentage of pro-
lection afforded those articles by the
tariff. Chairman Payne repeatedly told
Mr.. Miles that the committee would like
to have a detailed statement of his COM
parative figures. He commended that the
oil. steel. brass goods, car builders, loco
motive. farming tool. linseed oil. sugar.
tobacco, glucose, chemical, meat, rubber
goods, leather and lumber (so-called)
trusts" receive protection hat Is much
too great in comparison to the labor cost
on their products.
Although he is chairman of the tariff
committee of the National Association of
Manufacturers Mr.. Miles of Racine,
Wis. a manufacturer of agricultural i'm
Elements, wagons and carriages, made Il
plain that he was not appearing for the
association. He claimed to address the
committee "as one of the millions of con-
sumers, not as one of the 150, 900 to 49,
900 manufacturing consumers; as an en-
ployer who pays 100000 annually in
wages and as an independent, nom
trustified manufacturer"
"a stone labelled as bread" Is what he
said the farmer is given through the Ding
ley tariff. Mr.. Miles said the STANDARD
Oil company benefited most from the duty
on oil. The Standards wage cost is 6 per
cent OF the price to the consumer and the
tariff offers a protection Of 90 per cent
Of the price.
The tariff rates on steel and its PRODUCTS,
he said, are all in excess of the wage cost.
He declared that Sc per cent of the steel
output is controlled by the United S,a.es
Steel company. Jones and Laughlin. The
Republic Iron and Steel company, the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company and the
L~ackawanna and the Pennsylvania Steel
company. On DalEelIs suggestion he also
included the Cambria Steel company. He
said that these and several others are 'in
a commercial sense practically one con-
Germ"
THAT is true as far as making of price
is concerned" suggested Mr.. Cochran Of
New York.
Reduction on Heavy Steel.
Mr.. Miles recommended a maximum duty
Of is per cent of heavy steel products and
as a minimum nc duty. This reduction of
the schedule. he explained, would result
in a material reduction in the cost of agrI-
culture implements and wagons to tho
farmer and he advocated putting nails and
some machinery on the free list. He adj
mitted later that the entire steel schedule
Tor rolling mill products should be reduced
from Is to 20 per cent.
Saying he feared he might be taken for
a free trader In view of his recommended
lions Mr.. Miles said. I'm against a free
list What for?' asked Champ Clark Of
Missouri.
Because I want to see the government
get revenue and because 1 want a trad
Ing proposition whereby we can sell goods
in foreign countries"
Some excitement was caused when Mr..
Clark asked Mr.. Miles. What was the
Perry and your association had with the
labor unions?'
Mr.. Miles denied that he had had any
trouble. Colonel Martin N. MulhaIl OF st.
Louis came forward and became nvolved
in a heated argument with Mr.. Clark.
Colonel Mulhall claimed that certain labor
leaders were trying to boycott Mr.. Van
Cleave because he was a republican and
a protectionist. 81 don't want any poll
teal speeches." replied Mr.. Clark warmly,
II want to know what the row was about
between Mr.. Van Cleave and the labor
unions"
1.-THE brass workers wanted 10 per cent
more wages than was being paid in St
Louis replied Colonel Mulhall, who con-
tinued to defend Mr.. Van Cleave, while
Chairman Payne interfered.
Former Judge Samuel H. Cowan OF Fort
Worth, Tex. representing the American
Live Stock association and the Texas Cat
tie Raisers' association, asked hat the duty
be retained on cattle hides, claiming that 1t
has not been shown that free hides would
cheaper the cost OF manufactured leather
articles to the ultimate consumer. He
claimed that the farmer was getting his
share OF the benefits of the Is per cent
duty obtained from hides and that it was
not going to the packers, as had been as
serted.
Representative Boutell read a letter from
c.. H. Jones Of Boston. representing the
shoe and leather association, replying to
Mr.. Boutell's question as to what reduction
would result in the retail prices of s., $3.50
and IS shoes with free hides and free
leather. and with free hides, leather and
shoes. Mr.. Jones said there would be in
each case a reduction of Is cents with the
exception of the price with free hides,
leather and shoes, in which case, he said,
there would be a reduction OF 90 cents.
With free hides and leather, he said. the
prices would depend on trust" control.
Champ Clark of Missouri asked Judge
Cowan II he knew OF the Beef trust"
Most Of the people believe there Is a
combination OF packers to fix the price Of
beef" replied the witness. He told what
he knew about the packers methods of
purchasing cattle and said that they did
not fix the price Of cattle except when there
was an over-supply in the market.
Bourke Cochran OF New York asked
Judge cowan II the packers had any inter-
est in the tanning business.
I've heard" replied the witness. that
the packers control the leather business
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