The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-04-01
HIDDEN CLAUSE

IN TARIFF BILL BRINGS JoY TO
THE HEARTS OF OHIO PoTTERs |
RISE IN PRICES.
Washington, d. c., March 2S.-En-
sconsed in the pending tariff bill there
is a clause that will bring joy to the
pottery manufacturers of Ohio and
cause a corresponding depression in
the bosoms of the great importers in
New York who supply the department
stores throughout the country with
cheap sets of this ware. Should 1t
stand and become a part of the law the
country can expect to witness rise
in the prices of dishes as well as the
food on the American table, of which
SO much has been said sophomorically.
The bulk of the pottery produced in
the United States comes from East
Liverpool o., and Trenton, ~ j. 1t
is of a low grade and is used in hotels
and restaurants, as we'll as among the
poorer classes. Upon this stuff there
is an ad valorem duty based upon the
selling price abroad. The pottery man
ufacturers in this country complain
that the foreign price is fictitious, be-
ing based upon wash sales" in the
boards of trade abroad, where the pot
terry is manufactured At their con-
ventions in this city for the past few
years the potters have resolved in ia
yor of a change In the tariff laws
whereby this ad valorem tax should
be levied upon the appraised value of
the ware on this side of the water.
In his early speeches Of the cam
paign President William II. Taft, in
discussion the revision of the tariff,
declared that the pottery schedule was
one that needed a change. This was
taken to means that he favored high
er duty and his utteranCe was hailed
with delight in the pottery business.
When last year he spoke at East Liv-
erpool before audiences made up of
persons interested in the trade, it was
expected that he would categorically
define his position, but he disappoint-
ed his hearers by confining himself to
the declaration that there should be a
readjustnfent of the tariff.
Those who criticised this deliver
anCe at the time asserted that its
vagnueness was due to the opposition
in the New York importers, who had
taken alarm at his earlier statements
that the proposed terms of revision in
dOrsed by the potters in this country
virtually placed in their hands the
making Of prices in this country. 1t
was pointed out that while there were
9O,OO0,00O people using this table ware,
there were about 10000 people engag-
ed in the manufacture of it, many of
them being women and children,
working for sCant wages. When the
Payne bill was made public it was at
once noticed that the present sched-
ules on pottery had not been disturb
ed. Closer inspection brought to light
this highly important paragraph.
Ostensibly it relates to the valuation
of goods brought here by consignment
and not by sale, but study will show
that it covers precisely the terms of
the pOtters demands It reads:
The actual market value or whole
sale price as designated by law of any
imported merchandise which is con-
signed for sale in the United States
or which it not actually sold and free
ly offered for sale in usual wholesale
quantities in the open market of the
country of expectation to all purchas-
ers shall not in any case be appraised
at less than the wholesale price at
which such or similar imported mer-
chandise is actually sold and freely
offered for sale in usual wholesale
quantities In the United States in the
open market to all purchasers, due
allowance by deduction being made
for estimated duties thereon, cost of
transportation, insurance and other
necessary expenses from the place of
shipment to the place of delivery and
a reasonable commission not exceeding
10 per centum, if any of the same has
been paid"
This it will be seen, does away
with the export prices abroad and com
pels a valuation at the actual prices
secured by the manufacturers in their
own countries. The alternative safe
guard makes the basis of appraise-
ment the price at which the importers
sell the goods by wholesale in this
country Beyond all question this
clause will be fought by the Eastern
importers not only of pottery. but of
many other articles handled in great
quantities by them for the retail trade.