Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-28
COTTON REPORT
.|STRANSM|TTEO
BY PRESIDENT
Result Of Tariff Boards In
vestigation Of This Indus
try Placed Before Con-
gress by Taft.

Washington, March 27.-Presiden
Taft today transmitted to congress th|
tariff boards report on that cot
ton schedule with the recommendation
that that section Of the tariff Law
be taken up with view to revision
and reduction in the rates of duty.
The president advises congress thai
the boards investigation has shown
that the duties on cotton yarns is two
and three times in excess of the diff
| ference of the cost of production IN
! the United States and abroad. The
duties imposed because of finishing
processes are in excess of the differ
ence in the extra cost due to finishing
and are often in excess of the total
domestic cost of finishing.
Prices paid by consumers in the
United States are more than abroad
even when prices received by manu-
facturers in both places are the same.
This is said to be due to the higher
cost OF distribution here. Plain
clothes are as cheap here as any
where, but on fancy fabrics the duties
are in excess Of the differences in cost
and in many cases the duties are
greater than the conversion costs In
the mills of the United States. Presi-
dent Taft asks deficiency appropria-
ton of 100000 for the board to con-
tinue it's work during April. May and
June, and urges congress to continue
further the life of the board that it
may prosecute Investigations of the
metal leather, chemical and sugar
schedules, which the president has
directed.
Board Makes No Recommendation.
The presidents message is a COM
parative summary of the boards find
ings. AS in it's report on the wooden
schedule and the pulp and paper sched-
ule, the board makes no recommends
lions and suggests no duties In its re-
view of the very complex schedule.
The president says he bases his recon-
on the declaration of the
platform on which he was elected
THAT a reasonable protection of the
tariff should be adjusted to the differ
ence in cost of production at home and
abroad"
The report of the board shows the
Of stating in general terms
in cost of production from
a great variety Of cotton manu-
factures,' the president wrote, "the
vary widely according to
the character of the particular fabric.
1.-THE report shows that the cost of
spinning cotton yarn in this country
is greater than in the leading COM
petiting countries. In the case OF
ordinary warp and filling yarns, form
ing the bulk Of the production of the
domestic industry, the foreign cost
of turning cotton into yarn is shown
TO be about 70 per cent of the domestic
cost.
THE duty on these yarns Is two or
three times in excess Of the differ
ences in cost of production. On some
highly specialized yarn and yarns OF
the highest count-that is, Of greatest
duty, in some cases
about equalizes the differences in con-
version costs. #
I'm many cases, however, on the
higher grades of yarn which are pro- |
luced in this country the duty Is In !
excess of the difference in the cost of |
though by a much less |
amount in the case of ordinary warp |
and filling yarns.
American Price Low on Plain Weave. !
The difference in the cost of weav |
ng yarns into cloth as between this |