Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-09
TARIFF NO FACTOR,
REDF|ELD ASSERTS
Tells Cotton Manufacturers
They Do Not Need to De-
pend on Protection.
ACCURATE COTTON TESTS
ESSENTIAL TO BUSINESS
Convention Will Come to an End To-
morrow, Following the Election
of Officers.


Declaring that the tariff doesn't matter
at all i'm the manufacturing business to-
day, Secretary of Commerce Redfield told
the delegates al the convention of the
American Cotton Manufacturers Associa-
tion that he didn't care what the tariff
was on his own goods, and he hadn't
even looked to see.
He declared that in his business he had
frequently underbid foreign firms in their
home markets. and that in face of the
fact that wages were higher here. He
also told of an idea of his that this gov
eminent should have commercial attaches
to foreign countries. much the same as
now send military and naval attaches.
The Secretary was given rising vote of
thanks.
How Statistics Are Gathered.
w NJ Steuart chief statistcan of the
bureau of the census. told how the cotton
statistics were gathered and tabulated
and spread broadcast throughout the
country, and d. f. Douty. manager of the
New York Conditioning and Testing Com
pany. spoke on THE Value of Accurate
Testing in the Cotton Industry.
The report of the National Council OF
American Cotton Manufacturers, the joint
committee of the National Association OF
Cotton Manufacturers and the American
Association of Cotton Manufacturers was
laid before the convention by president
Erwin.
Following the adjournment of today s
session of the convention. there was a
meeting of the board of governors or the
association Tonight the delegates will
attend theater party. With the reports
of various committees and the election
OF officers tomorrow the convention Will
conclude its sessions.
Secretary Redfield's Address.
The address of Secretary Redfield Of
the Department of Commerce was the
feature of the session. The Secretary ad-
vanced the idea that the United States
should provide at all of its embassies and
legations special agents, or commercial
attaches whose duty would be to study
commercial conditions in the countries
TO which they were assigned, such lnIor-
nation as they should secure to be avail
able to manufacturers and commercial
interests of this country
The trust question was also touched
upon by Secretary Redfield. who declared
that he wanted the bureau of corpora
lions to inaugurate an investigation to
learn whether or not the trusts are IN
dustrially efficient
After outlining at some length the work
of American consular officers, who, among
their other multitudinous duties, are re-
qured to make commercial reports
which. he said. were necessarily local
and that of the commercial agents OF
the Department of Commerce who travel
ed abroad making special Investigations.
Secretary Redfield presented his proposal
for commercial attaches by pointing to
the military and naval attaches whose
dfrfx iS Tn
to their various branches Of the service.
Possible Benefits.
Would it not be possible" he said. Ito
add what We may call commercial at
tache in, say, six or seven of our en-
bassies? Let us suppose that this COM
mercial attache was we'll equipped man
of business. who had no duties save that
of studying carefully industrial and COM
merciai subjects in the country to which
he IVES accredited. He would be free
from the local and Office duties of the
consul. He would not be limited to any
locality. His scope would be as wide as
that of the nation in which he resided.
He would have nothing to do with diplo-
matte affairs. His service would be con-
tinuous and only that of studying care
fully the commercial development and
progress of the people among whom he
lived. He could be an efficient factor in
making clear to them American industrial
and commercial interests. and in likewise
making plain to us the similar interests
in his foreign field.
Such a man would have to be one of
business experience. 1t would take some
months. perhaps a year. for him to be-
come sufficiently familiar with his great
subject TO make his reports of serious
value. but after that time such man.
doing nothing else, devoting himself to
his theme. with the privlege-indeed the
duty-of travelling within the nation to
which he was sent-living in the very
middle OF his subject. so to Speak-should
be able 10 throw a flood of light not only
upon the commerce and Industries of that
particular people, but upon those of the
other nations to which that people were
selling and shipping. For example, what
clearer way could there be TO learn of
certain phases of South American COM
merce than to know thoroughly we'll how
the great nations of Europe were dealing
with that commerce? II l grasp at all
clearly the possible functions of the sup
posed officer whose duties / am discuss
ing he would be able to coordinate the
work that the consuls now do. and make
a unified whole out of what is now neces-
sarily a group of unrelated parts.
Il have not been able further than /
have said. the Secretary continued. Ito
work out the details of this suggestion.
for mere lack of time. 1t is possible
that further thought may either modify
the ideas. in whole or part. or require
their radical change. / am now simply
thinking out loud, as IL were. with a
view to getting as a final result that
which shall bring a closer and more
friendly tie between the great CONNER
cial and Industrial nations of the world
and make their union in these great
spheres more sympathetic and effective.
Discusses the Trusts.
Taking up the trust question, Mr.. Red
field said: Let me suggest a new sub
Ject OF inquiry for the bureau of cor
poratlons. The air has been full for
years past of discussion of the trusts
We have looked them from the point
of view of their political financial and
social results. But there is one phase,
and to my thinking one of the chief
phases, of this study which has been
almost omitted. 1t is alleged upon the
one hand that the trusts are necessary
for our Industrial efficiency. There has
been discussion altogether too brief. ON
the other hand. to whether the trusts
are as matter fact industrially efficient
or not
\ good many years ago the late Ed
ward NJ Shepard said to me that he be-
lieyed the true form of organization car
ed within itself the seeds of it's own
decay: that its economies were more APP
parent than real. and that the. serious
difficulty of obtaining the men who
and thorough control these great organ
IL e.