Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-26

| would be to raise this present low duty
on light-snrinking woods to a higher
level, at which all woods would bear
the same tariff tax.
! We are especially favored today in
| illustrating the burden on our indus
try by the fact that the Payne bill
, threatens a branch of worsted manu-
featuring with burden arising from
; the same cause, namely, a specific duty
on wool of widely varying shrinkages
We refer to the 39-cent duty imposed
by the Payne bill on worsted tops.
!, That duty would annihilate the fine
tops industry in this country, just as
the 11-cent duty on grease wool of
heavy shrinkage is slowly annihilating
the carded wooden industry. The
working of this Payne duty on worsted
tops is illustrated by its application to
these four lots of worsted wool combed
in American mills
| No. 8S-Coarse quarter-blood wool
1900 pounds grease WOOL at 11c.... $4,000
$3.50 pounds top, at 39c. ............. 265.20
Protection to top maker ........... 15O5.20
No. 230.-CroSSbred Australian.
10000 pounds grease wool. at 11c..... 10000
$685. pounds top, at 800. ............. 2gO5. As
Protection to top maker ........... 1865
Passaic.-Fine Australian.
10000 pounds grease wool. at 11c..... 10000
1925 pounds top, at 39c. ............... 1905
Protection to top maker ........... 1915
Hartley.-Fine merino territory
10 600 pounds grease wool, at 11c... $1,000
217S pounds tops, at 39c. ............ &.F
Discrimination against top maker 25253
These tests show that the 39-cent
rate on tops gives a very high pro-
lection to the makers of tops from
light shrinking woods, while the same
| 39-cent rate means the the withdrawal
of all protection from the maker of
tops from heavy shrinking wool. In
the latter case, the duty on the tops
is actually less than the duty on the
wool, and. as a result, the wool will
| be combed in foreign countries. i'm
ported into the United States in the
form of tops, and this branch Of top
| making will be destroyed in this coun-
try. We believe that this inequality
of rates with which the Payne bill
threatens the tops industry should be
corrected. We advocate and urge this
correction just as we advocate the re-
moval of the same burden that is op-
pressing the carded-WOolen industry.
We can not believe that you will grant
| relief to the worsted industry and re-
fuse it to the cardedwoolen industry.
BY-PRODUCTS.
| The injustice of the present tariff
law, however, is not confined entirely
to the schedules on wool. Equally flag
rant and unjust inequalities exist in
| the schedules on by-products. While
| we are generous enough to believe that
these injustices were created unwit-
tingly on the part of our legislators.
vet, if there had been concerted eff
fort made to render it impossible for
the carded- wooden manufacturer to
procure raw material Of any kind with
which to produce his goods in compe-
tition with the wOrsted manufacturer.
no law could have been made to better
bring about the desired result 1t was
not enough to place discriminating
duty on woods so the worsted manu-
| facturer could get his woods at better
value by importing them at lower
rate Of duty, but it was deemed wise
to place a further, prohibitive duty en
worsted wastes. noils, etc, SO that we
4 are pTeVeHteu IIpfi StltltS escii
products, except at exorbitant prices.
| to substitute for the wool we can not
get. Does this not look like clever
scheme to hamerp us in producing our
goods at competing prices' If values
are inflated on our raw materials. how
depressed on their raw materials, how
can we be expected to compete with
them?
In referring to wool substitutes we do
| not wish you to get the impression
| that these are used for the purpose OF
cheapening our goods to gain great
er profits for ourselves, nor that they
make goods that are unserviceable, or
| impractical for the people to wear.
They are, on the contrary, one of the
greatest agents for practical economy
and are the salvation of the masses IN
| their efforts to get good. serviceable
cloth at reasonable prices. The Ding
ley duties on these by-products are
| prohibitory, and the Payne bill gives
no relief. because the rates, although
slightly less. are still prohibitory. Tne
| worsted spinner cannot use his mons
They can besconverted into cloth only =
| by the carded wooden mills. AS re-
| suit, however, of the prohibitory duty
| on noils, the carded wooden mahuIAc-
turer does not dare to use them 10 the
extent warranted by their value as
| raw material, because any materiai III
crease in the demand for noils wouiu
| send the price up to the full amount Oh
the duty paid. An increase in the use
of noils could not injure the woolgro".
err, because he supplies only q SINAI.
| part, about 40 per cent. OF the "oo'
consumed by the people. The only Ell
feet of an increase in the use of noiis
under a fair duty would be to give the
consumer a warmer and more service
able garment in place of the cheap
| shoddy mixtures and cotton worsteos
that the present high duties on by
products force him to wear.
In conclusion. gentlemen, want 70
state that we have nothing to conceal.
We invite and welcome the closest
scrutiny Of our case, confident that tne i
more closely it is examined the more 1
| convinced you will become that our re-