Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-09
kAIsER's BUSINESS MEN NOT
DISTURBED OVER PENDING
TARIFF BILL.
HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR in
PROPOSED MAXIMUM CLAUSE
Study Of the Subject Has Led Manu-
faeturers to Conclude That Provi-
sions Will React Against Interests cf
United States Textile Business Of
America Threatened.
Especial Correspondence
America Threatened.


and interesting reason the German
Washington, June 9-For a curious
government and commercial interests
are not disposed to take very seriously
the threat Of having the maximum
rates of the Aldrich maximum and
minimum plan invoked against Ger
many.
There is in Germany. according to
excellent advices received here, a
widespread impression, right or wrong,
that the maximum and minimum pro-
ject is aimed pretty directly against
Germany. More than that, when this
plan was first brought forward by Sen
ator Aldrich. the Germans were greatly
concerned about it. They knew that
in the trade arrangement negotiated
by the North commission over two
years ago, Germany got the small end
of the thing, and the chief benefits
came to the Uniter States. Why, then,
asked the Germans, should the United
States be bringing forward a project
which looks to denouncing that trade
agreement, so advantageous to it, un-
| less 1t was out for the big game Of
tariff war?
| And so the Germans calculated until
they received copies of the Aldrich
rates, and, studying them in compari-
son with the Dingley duties, reached
the conclusion that for all essential
purposes this is revision upward
rather than downward. Nobody stud
les international trade more closely
than the Germans. They lost no time
reaching the decision that the reduc-
lions granted by the Aldrich bill are
Insignificant and Ineffective; they
consist in reducing rates which We're
preposterously prohibitory in the
Dingley act. but leaving them still
safely prohibitive. If rate of Is per
cent is prohibitive, rate of 1000 per
cent is enough, the 1000 per cent rate
can be handsomely scaled without
making the least difference The Ger
mans discovered, even sooner than
have the Americans, that this is the
Aldrich method OF revising.
Having figured out this much, the
Germans set to studying the maximum
and minimum provision. They realiz.,
that any country against which these
maximum rates are imposed will be
lhopelessly left out Of the American
market. But they are convinced, on
examination. that these maxima will
will never be applied as against Ger
many; that they can't be applied, and
that Mr.. Aldrich and his committee
don't expect them to be.
For the Germans say that to apply
these antogonistic maximum ra:es
against Germany, would inflict hard
ship upon America which would bring
a protest the administration could not
neglect. Take the single item of coal
tar dyes. No matter what the rate on
these. the American manufacturers of
textiles must have them. They are not
to be had anywhere else. Nobody can
make them as the Germans can, and
without them the textile industry
would be stranded. To raise the duty
on them % per cent would be to do a
serious injury to the textile business in
this country, and to threaten its large
and growing foreign trade. The
British and German manufacturers OF
cotton goods, for instance. having the
benefit of cheap labor and cheap dyes
and the world price of cotton, would
enjoy advantages which the American
manufacturer could not overlook. The
American home market would not be
affected because the tariff takes care OF
it; but foreign trade, not only in these
articles but in many more things
would be ruined if the Germans were
not given a chance to get into this
market with the wide range of manu-
facturers' materials they send here.
Turnout the whole chemical schedule
this case of the coal tar dyes can BE-
} duplicated many times. The American