The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-08-17

goods? Senator Aldrich In his state
ment answered all these questions in
the negative, and submitted an array
of facts that made 1t unnecessary to
take his mere assertion for anything.
The per cent increase in duty APP
piled to only small portion of the
rubber goods manufactured in this
country or imported. It was made at
the request Of the treasury experts In
order to bring In under uniform duties
all articles manufactured In whole or
part Of rubber. The change was worth
while because the appraisers courts
had been clogged with cases from i'm
porters who tried to secure the lower
of theA two duties on rubber goods
named In the Dingley law. The same
uniformity might have been secured
by lowering the higher duty, which
covered the more important imports,
but this would cut down revenue. One
of the things demanded Of the Payne
law was increased revenue. Senator
Aldrich submitted the testimony OF
Judge Sharretts, of the board of gen
eral appraisers, as to these facts. 1t
was Judge Sharretts who appeared
before the senate committee to urge
the increased duty and who later de-
Tended it before the conferenc COM
mittee. Both committees agreed unan-
imously that his arguments were good
and that the change was desirable.
Judge Sharretts' testimony is lightly
dismissed by Senator Bristow as I'M
reliable and having no bearing on the
CASE
To many perhaps the most convin-
cling demonstration that Senator Al
drich was not responsible for the In
crease will be found in the. showing
that, although he was interested in
rubber, he was not interested in man
ufactured rubber such as the duty ap-
piled to. The Intercontinental Rubber
company, in which the Rhode Island
senator has been interested since 1906,
is q producer Of crude rubber only,
and all Of its products produced out
side OF the United States, coming in
free OF duty. The output Of the com
pany, according to Senator Aidr.ch, is
only 6 per cent Of the world output.
The product is sold at price fixed
by supply and demand in the world
market, with the central market in q
London auction room. It is the height
OF absurdity to intimate that the al.
drich concern, selling crude rubber in
the world market, could profit by 5
per cent increase in duty affecting
only 9 small portion of American i'm.
portations or manufactures. It is
equally absurd to contend that the new
duty. plus anything that could be done
by concern producing only s per
cent OF the world output of crude rub
Der could have any perceptible infiu-
|ence upon the prices Of rubber goods
all over the world. Rubber prices
have been mounting steadily tor years,
owing to increased demand In automo.
bile and electrical appliance manufac-
ture. They continued to rise after
the Payne law was passed, and they
have only recently fallen in response
to some fluctuation Of the supply and
demand. 81
Senator Aldrich may be planning to
establish All internat ional rub5er mon
opoly. but he certainly has not got
very far along with it. That the per
cent increase in duty on small part
Of the, American importations in
creased the profits Of the Aldrich com
pany by 9 penny is not economically
possible. That being true the whole
of Senator Bristow's structure falls to
the ground.