The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-16
AN INDUSTRY THREATENED

AN INDUSTRY THREATENED A Typical Illustration of How the
 Payne Bill Hurts Manufaeturins-The
 UncaIled For increases In Fur Duties
 and What the Women Will Have to
 Pay For Fur Articles.
 A good illustration of the unhealthy and dangerous condition into whic,A interests is afforded by the recent plight of the American manufacturers of wearing apparel made from furA By an increase in the duty on theis necessary material, which the Payne bill provided, this industry was seri ously threatened. The manufacturers and the Purifiers union, composed os the workers. were much agitated ovei the Payne fur schedule and declared that if it were enacted about 5O,OOa men and women would be thrown out of work throughout the country. A certain result will be heavy increase in the prices of many articles made of furs.
 Of course these manufacturers, like the manufacturers of woolen goods and all others, should be able to get their material free of duty, so as te have a fair opportunity to carry op and extend their industry. But the Dingley tariff imposes a duty of 20 per cent ad valorem on "furs dressed in the skin, but not made up into arti- cles," and a similar duty on manufac- lures of furs not articles of wearing apparel when partly prepared for use as material. It also fixes the duty al 35 per cent on articles of wearing ap parel of every sort partly or wholly. manufactured of fur. Undressed fur$ are free of duty, but the manufactur CTS find it absolutely necessary in theiI business to import a great many skinf. both dressed and dyed.
 A Sop to One Kills Others.
 Now. the Payne tariff bill changefI the wording of the schedule so that th.. 20 per cent duty on dressed skins ig raised to 35 per cent when they art dyed, repaired, sewed or advanced il any manner further than dressed, "sau as the manufacturers must import c buy here, a great many skins in thes. conditions to be worked up into th. finished articles of apparel and as tn
 
 at 35 per cent by the Payne bill, th ? manufacturers in this line found ther material about to cost them much mor.. They were therefore driven to demanu an increase to 50 per cent in the duty on the finished articles, or else a re- duction in the rate on their material If they could not get relief in either di- rection very many of them would have had fn Inf nf hr1SinaSc ThnQ fho tariff kills off number of manufsc- turers in order to add to the profits of a few specially favored ones-in tlis case certain dyeing interests. What these dyeing interests really need, of course, is to get their dyestuffs and other materials free of duty and not to have another industry damaged to help them.
 The People Pay Much More.
 The senate has relieved the terrors of the manufacturers by raising the rate on the finished articles made from fur to 50 per cent.
 The increased rates of the Payne A1drich bill will materially increase the cost to the consumers, principally wo- men, of many fur articles. For, exam pie, the little gray squirrel skins which nave been uSeQ Dy tne mlliOnS OurluS the past few years in this market will be increased in cost 15 per cent by the Payne duties. As these are used all most entirely for low priced articles, a very large number of users will be af- fected. A gray squirrel huff that has heretofore retailed at $7.50 will have to be sold at retail at $S.15 under the Payne bill. Not less than $5 will have to be added to the retail price of one of the popular black dyed pony coats selling for less than $50, with a pro- portionate increase in the higher priced coats. The seal dyed muskrat gar ments, known as Beasam seal, Hudson seal and other trade names. will cost the wearer under the Payne bill as it stands from S25 to $50 more, depend ing upon the quality and length of the coat purchased.
 These higher duties will also hasten the extermination of the American fur bearing animals, upon which great industry depends. Many states of the Union. are now adopting measures in tended to save these animals from ex- tinction.