The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-14


that will finish in the first division.
mission of the democratic party as "tosget
sufficient revenue to run the government
without imposing a tariff on those articles
that are needed ty all the people,
The witness said that while Canada vas
now the only lumber competitor with
much less freight rates to New York than
from the Carolnas, Mexico was stand
Ing at our DOORS threatened competi-
tor Representative Hill of Connecticut
said he thought there was nothing to fear
from Mexico; that there was more appre-
hension warranted from abroad, particu-
larly Siberia. The witness insisted that
free lumber was not consistent with for
estry conservation.
j. e. Rhodes of Chicago. secretary of
the National Lumber Manufacturing as
sociation, comprising Is saw mills from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, urged the re-
tention of the lumber tariff.
j. L. Crane of Tonawanda, n Y, pro-
tested that any reduction on dressed
lumber would make 1t impossible to meet
the competition from Canada.
Manufacturers and importers of silk
joined issue at a hearing on the silk
schedule. That there Is now no compe-
tition either here or between the United
States and foreign countries on artificial
silk yarn was admitted by Albert s. Waiz-
fielder of Brooklyn, representing the Biaid
Manufacturers association. comprising
factories in New York, Pennsylvania, IL
linois and Massachusetts,.
Mr.. Waizfelder said. however. that he
understood companies were being ineor-
porated to engage in the industry. He
wanted the tariff retained on grades and
trimmings of artificial silk.
]. S. Waolf of New York, an importer,
wanted tie silks, made especially for
mems neckwear, given a separate classi-
fication instead of being grouped with
other manufactures of silk. Now, some
of the tie silks, he said, pay as 20 per cent
ad valorem. lie wanted a general reduc-
ton Of rates on the silks.
Silk values come and go according TO
the uncertain whims of womans dress,
said Horace b. Cheney of South Manches-
ter, Conn.,, In behalf of the Silk As5ocia-
ton of Americas Plea for an undisturbed
tariff on silk
He charged that ad valorem on silk
goods are of very doubtful value, the
source of constant annoyance to honest
importers anu tldt Wntu tuty nave ptth
in operation the government has been
defrauded of enormous revenues through
undervaluation of merchandise. Mr.. Che
ney traced silk manufacture back TO Chi
cago 1900 years before Christ.
Mr.. Cheney was the spokesman for the
American silk Manufacturers and admit
ted to Representative Palmer of Penn
sylvania, that his revenue committee
very largely prepared the details of the
ell al, datla nf Do 1driah tariff
making the classlfcations and writing
the rates. Representative Payne of
New York, republican, brought out from
the witness, however, that he, Mr.. Payne
as chairman of the ways and means
committee that framed the tariff law of
1909, has asked Mr. Cheney as manu-
facturer and another expert authority
as an importer to get together and sub
mite figures and classifications to the
committee, that there were frequent
conferences. and notifications made by
the committee and the whole schedule
threshed over In conference.
Chairman Underwood asked Mr.. Che
ney il he did not think that "dyna-
mited silk" was dishonest. Mr.. Cheney
replied that he did not and said that
his association had chemists working
to determine the exact percentage Of
weighing goods so that man would
not run the risk of jail sentence on re-
ceipt of analysis. Mr.. Underwood sug-
eested that II Mr. Cheney had any rec
concentrations on dynamited silk he had
better make them.
1--WE are liable to have a pretty dras-
tic law" said Mr.. Underwood. II think
II is a fraud on the public. I think
there should be imposed an absolutely
prohibitive tariff and a penalty on dy-
namited silk" Mr.. Cheney said he did
not think it would be fair to the indus
try as a whole.
A. III. Kursheedt of New York, repre-
senting the American Association Of
Embroidery and Lace manufacturers.
said that the interests he represented
would be satshed with an increase on
tAriff on silk laces from 6s to 70 per
cent ad valorem. in Connection with a
IS cents per pound rate on yarns.