The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-28
Sensational Fight Against
Democratic Plan Of
Tariff Revision.
WAGE REDUCTION
THREAT is MADE
Manufacturers Present I'm
broken Front in Opposition to
Lower Duty on Cloth and
Ready-Made c o h n &.
Committee Shows No Sign
of Changing Plan.

Washington. January p --Protection-
isfs and tariff rcvisionists had q run
ming Gre in the House Ways and Means
Committee to-day. which was con-
ttnued tonight. The wool farln Was
the issue. and the manufacturers pre-
sented an almost unbroken alignment
against reduction of duty on WOODEN
cloth and ready made clothing, though
favoring reduction of the duty on raw
wool.
II was the most sensational fight made
at this session against the Democratic
plan for revision OF the duties IL tho
coming extra session
Your schedule has never been cut
in the memory of living men. sug-
gested Representative Palmer. Of Penn
syivania. to o. NJ. Stafford. president Of
d Cleveland enterprise.
Threat Of Lower Wages.
Mr. Stafford contcnded that the
tarin could bc reduced in the event
the Democratic party chose 70 take
the responsibility for possible re
duction Of wages Of the WOODEN mill
employees. Tho witness tcetiied to
per cent dividends from his mill last
year. and Representative Harrison of
New York suggested that il was rather
unbecoming for him. in view of the big
profits Of the industry. TO hold out d
threat of wage reduction.
Through William Goldman. of New
York. its president, the Association Of
Ciothiers declared that while free wool
was desirable II was too revolutionary
and II indOrsed the proposed Demo
cratic rate of 20 per cent ad valorem on
raw wool.
The National Association OF Manu-
facturers, comprising 100 of the wooden
mills of the country. through its
president. John =. Wood. OF Phila
L1f of g.
as a suggestive proposition. but Mr.
Wood admitted that the schedule was
approximately the same as the present
tariff law.
The committee showed no signs in
the examination of changing its tenta
tive plan for revised wooden schedule
along the lines of the Democratic bills
of the two previous sessions of this
Congress, which provide for 20 per cent
ad vsIorem on raw wool and from
IS to 50 per cent on ready-mace clothing
and other articles
Frank p. Bennett. of Boston. editor
of the American Wool and Cotton Re
porter, argued for the re-enactment
of the Wilson law of 1894. at the outset of
tc-day's hearings. This was plea for
entire removal of duties upon wool and
a reduction OF the tariff upon wooden
goods 20 80 per cent
Loss to Farmers.
He said that would be in the interest
of both the manufacturers and of the
sheep husbandry in the United States.
and declared that the wool tariff dis
torted sheep husbandry by encouraging
growers to keep Improbable animals.
The duty of 80 cents Il pound now as
sessed upon secured wool had imposed
A tax OF nearly 500 600 600 upon the
American people. besides hamperlng
manufacturers, the witness said
a wooden expert recommending ad
vaIorem and specific duties on clothing,
an ad valoren duty on wool. with an ad-
ditional duty on clothing TO compensate
for labor and mill cost, cOntended that
clothing would ne no cheaper If the
duty on cloth were removed He said
that d suit or ovcrcoat containing s.
worth of cloth wholesaied at from s.
TO 81 and rctalled at from ST. to SIS
Eben 5 stephens. of Worcester.
Mass. d wool manufacturer. advocated
placing wool wastes on the free list.
John p Wood. of Philadelphia, pres
ident of the National Association OF
Wool Manufacturers. told the commit
tee he had accepted in good faith the
assurance that the contemplated tariff
revision would inJure no legitimate
business. He said that while rates on
some articles exceed protection require
uents. the Tariff Board had showed
the manufacturers realized no advan-
tage of it, as domestic competition
regulated prices within narrow limits OF
profit The association stood generally
for the present tariff
MIR. Wood criticized the Democratic
and compromise bills Of the previous
sessions Of this Congress as destruc-
tive
Pictures big Problems"
Mr.. Woo refused to make any spe-
cifc recommendation as 20 raw wool.
though proposing the maintenance OF
the present tariff protection on wooden
goods lie pictured big 3roblems-
confronting the Democrats in attempt
ing % carry out a tariff reduction plan
and questioned the ability Of me com
rnittee 20 classify the different com
rnodities 80 a. 20 apply rate that
would exactly At each kind OF wool.
Then" observed Chairman I ndcr-
wood We have got TO sail out III the
dark and try 20 save the patient II Ne
can"
Free pressed cloth was skscd by !.
J. CuibertsOn. Of Paris. Tex. represent
ing the Interstate Cotton seed Crush
ers' Association. Louis Newman. sec
retsrv OF Cleveland knitting mill
company. protested against any radical
reduction in tho tariff on ready made
clothing although he admitted that
present duties on some % the cheaper
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