The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-07-27
BRUSH MAKERS
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AID
BY Ernest G.. Walker.
mail Special to the Advertiser.)

ing from unexpected quarters and have
been based upon unexpected grounds
ever since the tariff bill was brought
into the House of Representatives.
There are strange currents and eddies
in the matter of production The world
over and these have powerful effect
upon manufacture.
One of the eleventh hour appeals to
the Senate was for higher duty upon
paint brushes and other brushes, even
to those with which the barber applies
the lather preliminary to a shave. As
the tariff bill was reported to the Sen
ate, the same rate of duty applies to
the broom which the housewife uses. the
clothesbru and the daintiest ivory
handle, bristles, set in rubber shaving
tool An advalorem of forty per cent.
is laid upon all these articles. 1t hap
pens that no brooms worth mentioning
are imported and in the years gone
by the American manufacturer has
been pretty well able to take care of
the brush trade of whatever character.
But his troubles have increased. The
American pig is one of them. In the
earlier and better days of the Republic
the American pig grew good stiff
bristles, fit for a shaving brush or
paintbrush or even for a toothbrush.
But the fancy breeders have been busy
and the result is that the modern Amer.
lean pig does not grow hair enough to
make a good eyebrow. Accordingly
the manufacturers of brushes have to
look elsewhere for their bTstles. They
bring them from China and Russia and
such countries, where fancy breeds of
pigs are unknown.
Even more. The aggressive Japa-
nese is invading the American market
with many articles. Among them are
brushes for the hair and face and
clothes and also paint brushes. Labor
is very cheap over there and men with
money have discovered that the Japa-
nese can make brushes much more
cheaply than can be done out in Ohio,
where brush making has become a
great industry. The appeal for higher
duties on the better grades of brushes,
however, was made too, late to the
Senate to be of any avail. The Sen
ate and the House have agreed upon
the same rate and it is not now even
a subject for conference.
Senator Dick, of Ohio, took up the
fight for higher duties on brushes, but
he was less successful than Senator
Lodge, of Massachusetts,, to whom was
directed similar Macedonian cry. Up
at Leominster, Mass, there is a thriv-
ing factory town, which is virtually the
seat in this country of the manufacture
of celluloid goods. There are factories
elsewhere to be sure, but the bulk of
celluloid manufacture, ranging from
celluloid collars to the most exquisite
toilet articles, is at Leominster. The
representatives of the industry came
down to Washington early in the ses
sion to ask for few increases on
collodion and compounds of pyroxylin,
which enter largely into cclluloid. They
were given about what they asked ana
the Senate passed the paragraph in THAT
form. But along at the eleventh hour
of the Senate consideration the peo-
pile of Leominster Learned that two new
and very modern celluloid mills were
being erected near Toxic, that the Japa-
nese already had selling agent in New
York for their goods and that good
brisk competition was ahead. So the
>>lluloid people wanted ten per cent.
additional on certain grades of their
product and they were granted it, even
Enough Senator Aldrich said it at first
it would be impossible.
These are instances of the competi-
lloH lIOH JdpdH, WHICH lue IudHuIdC-
turers are complaining about and which
was practically unheard of twelve years
ago when the tariff was revised Still
another of the many instances is in the
making of floor mating. To meet that
the Senate has inserted a paragraph
grading the duties by the count of ends
of warp. That amounts to a consider
able raise over the House rates which
were twenty-five per cent. for certain
grades and thirtyfi five per cent. for still
better grades.
German Invasion.
There was good deal of talk dur
ing the debate about the German in
vasion of pur markets which was I'M
heard of twelve years ago. But the
Germans have been excelling in metal
lurgy and in turning out splendid prod
ucts of iron and steel. Some of the
duties have been put up to meet that
situation. As an example there was
much to do in the Senate over the
decline of the American industry of
making old fashioned raZors, such as
our fathers and forefathers scraped
their chins with. Americans are far
IN the lead in making these ingenious
safeties with which man can shave
himself but not cut himself. Investiga-
tlon showed that few razor factories
in New York and elsewhere were still
struggling along but that Solingen,
Germany, was making the bulk of the
razors, and could afford to pay the
duty and then sell at a profit in the
American markets. So the Senate put
on the stif duty of twelve cents each
and fifty per cent. ad valorem, when
razor blades, worth more than SO a |
dozen are brought into our ports. Fur.
thermore the Senate required that the
name of the maker should be sunk con.
spieuously and indelibly on the shank
or tang. This will prevent deception |
generally practised, It is said, in the
sale Of cutlery by small dealers through,
out the country,
Competition from very unusual and |
distant quarter has been Impressed up |
on the tariff makers in the easa NJ mia |