Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-25

AiidlltiC lily, ~ u, vi. 81. w ia l
the American government is doing. to
increase the foreign trade of the
United States formed the subject Of
an address, today, by Huntington Will
son. assistant secretary of state, be-
fore the American Hardware Manu-
facturers Association in convention
here. He said the government has for
the first time brought the business and
economic interests of the country into
intimate relations with the machin-
cry Of government.
Our aim now is, he said, lis to
polarize the enterprise of our bust
ness men and every legitimate govern
mental activity so as to bring to bear
united force in the struggle for
American prosperity and for the ex-
pansion of the foreign trade of the
United States
Atlantic City, y. j., Oct. PA letter
from President Taft to the American
Hardware Manufacturers Association
ami the National Hardware Assoeia-
ton was read at today's session Of the
convention. 1t follows:
Beverly, Mass. Oct 81.
My Dear Mr.. kantz:
Il am very glad to send message
of greeting to the members of the
American Hardware Manufacturers
Association and the National Hard :
ware Association on the occasion OF
their annual joint convention. One OF
the members of your association wrote
me the other day that what this coun-
try needs most is industrial peace.
There can be no such peace in the abb
sence of national prosperity and | am
clad to believe that the members OF
your association are doing their fun
share to welcome the prosperity which
is lust at our door by maintaining our
present economic business basis and
by the encouragement of business eX-
pansion and progress throughout ie-
gitimate use of capital.
Il am a firm believer in d Tariit
Board or Tariff Commission. | do not
contend that the tariff can be taken
out of politics in the sense that 1t
will never be marde the subject OF
political controversy. Men differ rad
ically as to the economical wisdom OF
a protective tariff, or tariff for rev.
enue only and that must always be
the subject of political discussion. But
there is a means of taking the ascer-
tainments of facts away from a tribu-
nal like the ways and means commit
tee, which is necessarily hurried in
its conclusions and necessarily lack
ing in the thoroughness and temper
which are essential to reach impartial
conclusions.
Probably no industries affected by
-. INN r a
conclusions more than those which are
represented in your convention In my
message of Aug. IA last, returning to
the Congress without my approval the
bill to revise the metal schedule.
pointed out that in this schedule iron
and steel as primary products are less
than one-third in value of the subject
matter covered by the schedule.
Il presented table showing that
included in the metals schedule are
20 allied industries of sufflclent I'M
portance to justify separate classifi-
cations, study and report by the CEN
sus bureau pointed out further that
foundry and machine shop products,
which are secondary products of the
iron and steel industry, are made by
more than $4,000 competing establish
raents with an invested capital of more
than billion and half dollars, with
more than half q million wage earn
ers employed and producing nearly a
billion and a quarter dollars in value
of products annually. Every dollar OF
this capital and every workman en-
ployed in the Industry was directly
affected by the bill and | could not
find. either in the report of the COM
mittee on ways and means of the
House or, to any extent in the discuss
sion OF the schedule, that serious con-
sideration had been given to the eff
feet of this revision on this particular
branch of the industry and the same
thing is true of more than two-thlrds
of the Industries covered by the sched-
uIe. There was little logical relation
between the reductions made by this
bill in the schedule.
For example: Steam engines and ma
chine tools in the present law are duti-
able at 80 per cent In this revision
steam engines were reduced to Is pei
cent and the whole machine tool indus
try was put on the free list, without any
reason whatever being given In the re-
port of the ways and mean committee III
either case for such action. The term
"fnacbine tools has already been Tho