The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-07-27
HUMOROUS SIDE
OF TARIFF REVISION
Especial to the Silver State.)

WASHINGTON, July 27.-Some
phases of the tariff revision war are
peculiar, and almost humorous. When
the Payne -Aldrich bill was under dis
cussion, the most insistent demands
for reduction of duties were voiced by
importing interests, which naturally
have no sympathy at any time with
American industries or American la
Dor. In the present fight, certain i'm
porters have sought and obtained the
cooperation of foreign producers, who
are submitting to tax for the crea-
tion of fund with which to fight pro-
lection in it's lair, and to influence leg
islation right here in Washington.
| 1t is fact well known, now, that
spectators in Palermo, Sicily, and in
New York city, have joined hands to
secure reduction in the lemon tariff
which in 1910 paid into the U. 8.
treasury the very respectable sum of
! SO ,233, ,527.87 as compared with col
lections Of $1,351, 1883 for 1909, the
year before the new tariff went into
effect. As tariff producing sub
stantial revenue, this appeals to con
a
ure giving reasonable protection to a
growing home industry, it is favored
by Republicans and protection Demo
Gratis alike. The consumer does not
suffer by it, On the contrary, he is
benefited by competition which would
not allow the American lemon grow
ers to exist, or which would keep them
out of the New York market. With no
tariff, or an inadequate one the
American growers would hardly be
able to sell their fruit east of the Al
leghanies. This would give the Sici-
lian fruit an absolute monopoly of
that section of the United States, by
reason of the lower price at which it
can be produced, and the cheap ocean
freight rate to New York. As the
business is in very few hands, COM
bined under a close working agree
ment, and as it enjoys further the pro-
lection of the italian government to
an extent which practically offsets
the benefits derived in this country
from the tariff, the New York price
could and would be kept at figure
limited only by the rapacity Of the
importers and the ability Of the pub
lie to pay. Any attempt by the
American growers to invade the east
ern markets could be met, as in the
past, by a temporary reduction in
prices which would drive them back
into their limited western territory
with severe losses, after which the
prices would again advance for the
benefit of the importers.
| Here is stake worth playing for.
1t is for this that the Sicilian growers
are giving up an assessment which has
ranged from four cents to ten cents on
every box Of lemons shipped to the
New York market. It is for this that
they are vociferouslv demanding the
reduction or abolishing Of the lemon
tariff It is for this that they are
hiring lawyers and lobbyists, to try
to influence legislation. Tt is because
of this meddling with American legis-
lation that the names of certain con-
gressmen. who are held to be friends
of the Sicilian lemon growers, are
spoken freely in the home Of the
Camorra and the Black Hand, and that
they are referred to as friends of the
alien rather than as representatives or
American industry.
With well financed campaign like
this. aimed at an American industry,
it became necessary for the lemon
growers to defend their commercial
existence. Through their mutual or
ganization they employed the fore
most expert in their line in the world,
G. Harold Powell, whose investiga-
tions for the department. of agricuI-
ture in California. Spain and Sicily
demonstrated his high standing as a
practical scientist. It was decided to
procure detailed figures showing the
cost Of producing lemons in Califor-
mia and also to procure full data re-
| farding the industry in Sicily, Italy
and Spain, although the latter country
does not figure largely in the produc.
tion of lemons for export. Mr.. Powell
has lust returned from his tour OF in
vestigation. and while he has not col
substantiate all that he has said pre-
tion abroad.
Mr.. Powell sailed April 18th for
Europe, accompanied by Frank F.
Chase. vice-president Of the National
Orange company Of Riverside, and
one Of the best authorities in the
world on the orange and lemon. His
| intimate practical as we'll as theoreti-
cal knowledge Of irrigation engineer
ing, and on every phase of the in
dustry, constituted him an expert and
supplemented the practical and scien-
tiic knowledge of Mr.. Powell, so that
the Investigations made by them had
all the value of dual inquiry. They
studied the industry in all Of the i'm
portant lemon producing sections Of
Sicily and ITALY, took numerous photo
graphs and found that they were able
to determine the variations in the
difference of cost of production, culti-
vation, irrigation, fertilization yields
of trees. number of trees per acre,
vaule of properties. cost of equip
ment, and all of the factors entering
into the problem. They are determin-
ed the cost of transporting the fruit.
and the variations in the cost of get
ing it from the groves to the steam
ships Mr.. Powell's investigation.
wade two years ago for the govern