New-York tribune., 1910-11-28
GENERAL BUSINESS SLOW
Editor of "AmeriCan Industries"
Gives Four Reasons.
FAVORS TARIFF COMMISSION
Majority of Manufacturers Be
ieve Question Is Cause Of
National Irritation.

Present trade conditions in the United
States are comprehensively considered in
the December issue Of American Indus
tries" the monthly magazine conducted in
the interest of the National Association of
Manufacturers. 1t presents tables based
upon recent reports from the three thou
sand members Of the association, showing
in percentage figures. tabulated under
poor" fair" good and excellent
the current conditions in many important
industries and the prospects in 1911.
There are also carried a large number
Of letters from members, offering sugges-
tions for improving the trade situation.
and an article What Is the Matter with
Business?' by the editor, Henry Harrison
Lewis, analyzing the condition reports and
the members suggestions. John Kirby, jr.,
president Of the association, also contrib
utes an article on the significance of the
election of this month in relation 10 the
country's industries.
Mr.. Lewis, in discussing tabuIated re-
turns and the suggestions and opinions Of
the manufacturers, says, in part:
A thoughtful analysis of the tables will
reveal that while business whole is
nation, while others are fairly good and a
few enjoy a satisfactory degree of pros
perity. The average, however, is below
Business, and that means practically the
country, is suffering from several ills.
These can tentatively be classified as %
national Irritation, 12l speculation, C31 in
ternaI dlssenSion and (4) lack of confidence.
The first. national irritation, which has af-
1ected ali business alike, arises from an
undue. unnecessary and harmful political
Another cause for this national irritation
which has worked such commercial unrest
and injury is the failure of men of affairs
and national leaders to remove the tariff
from political influence and control This
IS the opinion, at least. of q majority of
those members of the National Associat ton
OF Manufacturers who replied to the circu-
lar requesting information. In passing, it
may be we'll to understand that nowhere is
the need Of an independent tariff commits
sion more clearly recognized than among
the manufacturers who are popularity sup
posed to be the actual beneiciaries of high
protection.
The second national i'll is speculation,
which. according to the reports received,
means not only stock speculation, but to
even greater extent business speculation,
or unWlse, careless and practically repre-
hensble gambling on future demand. The
eager desire following the panic of 1907 to
bolster up business, and the chiIdlike hope
that prosperity was bound to return in the
near future, undoubtedly caused a great
many concerns to take desperate chances.
Internal differences or dissension between
industries is. the third i'll, as indicated by
portant phase of this classification by far
is the railway rates problem.
A division OF the industries into three
classes, viz: Depressed industries. indus
tries doing a fair business and industries
enjoying prosperity. according to the re-
ports that have been received, shows that
the first classification, namely. depressed
Industries. made up of pig iron and steel
bilietS. railway iron and steel, machinery,
iron and woodworking; lumber, general
tools and hardware. vehicles and leather,
consists Of those directly or indirectly con-
nected with railroad construction or MAIN
tenance.
They probably represent 50 per cent of
the nations industries. and il is these in
dustries which report their sales as poor,
their collections slight, their present con-
ditions as poor and the future discourag-
ing.
It is significant that in the whole volume
Of replies received from the members Of
the National Association of Manufacturers
not one was adverse to fair increase Of
rates: on the other hand a great number
recommended a speedy adjustment with
fairness TO the railways.
President Kirby, in discussing the cleo
ton results, which he views as rebuke
for the new natiOnalism," devotes him
self mainly to the tariff and the labor ques-
ton In his opinion. whatever dissatis-
faction exists over the Payne-Aldrich tariff
law, when analyzed, is not so much with
the law itself with the manner in which
ii was created and the refusal of Congress
to heed the demand of the business inter
ests of the country for the creation of a
permanent tariff commission"