The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-08-09
MOST INJURIOUS
EVER PRESENTED
So Senator Smoot Charaterlzes the
Underwood Tariff Bill In
Mastery Speech.
CONTINUED from last issue)
Helping a Foreign Trust Control the
Plate Glass Market

In the prO0uCtlOH Vi pIhIe si"eoi
Belgium is the keenest competitor
with America in this market. Lab
or in Belgium in this industry aver
ages Go cents day as compared with
81. 80 in the United States. 1t costs
twice as much to complete a factory
here, raw materials are more, and
there is no trust, but keen competi-
ton, while the European manufacture
ers are combined in syndicate iegu
lating production and prices, and all
selling through one agency, thus do.
ing away with any competition at
home and making It easy for them to
sell at low prices In this country.
Plate glass was first made in this
country under the tariff Of 1875. Be
fore that time the cost was Sl.75 to
1926 square foot. The price has
gradually gone down, so that 1t was
81 .21 in 1880, SO cents in 1890. 80
cents in 1900, 46 cents in 1905, AZ
cents in 1908, and 80 cents under the
present tariff. That reduction was &C
complished in a tdrif that imposed
90 IL cents per square foot on a
size that It is now proposed to reduce
to IL cents. Owing to the great diff
ference in wages II costs 2S IL cents
a square foot for a factory here in
complete operation to produce such
glass, while in Belgium, with a cur
tailed production, the cost is only IL
cents and they are capable of increas-
ing their production 46 per cent. The
difference in cost IS II IL cents Il
square foot Germany has fiat rate
equivalent to l2.42 cents n square
foot, which keeps out the Belgian pro-
duct The existing law here, on sizes
not exceeding 100 square inches, does
not make up the difference in cost
of production here as compared with
Belgium. There is small excess
on sizes over 720 square inches, but
American manufacturers lose on the
first two brackets and do not make
enough on the last to be renumerated
while the foreigners, because of their
trust agreement, make very large prof
its. The reduced rates proposed
would place the foreign trust in con.
troll of our market. The consumer Is
paying only one third or one fourth
as much fec the plate glass now as
he did 35 years ago, when he was de-
pendent upon foreign production. The
increase in imports this year, AZ per
cent for the dull months of January
and February over the same months
last year, shows what may be expect
ed. The Pacific coast and Rocky
Mountain trade will be lost to Am.
erican producers, because the fore gn-
err now has an advantage of to IL
cents a square foot in freight. The
freight from Belgium to any Pacific
coast city is 2 cents square foot
From Pittsburg It Is IL cents in
carload lots and 10 cents on less
quantity and railroads have filed no
tice to increase that rate to is cents
on less than carload lot.
Effect on Pottery
In the production of pottery greater
capital is required in proportion to
the annual output than in other indus
tries, and more labor is necessary in
proportion TO the capital. About 80
per cent of the cost Is labor, and
&C 2-3 per cent goes out in pay enve-
lopes. The wages in this industry
in the United States are the highest
pad and there has been no strike in
20 years. Competition here. as a
result of the establishing of this in.
dustry, has reduced prices two thirds
TO the consumers and prices are low
er now than ever before. American
manufacturers supply less than two
fifths OF the consumption. Chairman
Underwood his speech on this sub
ject, said; When we see a large
amount of importation as compared
with tae American consumption
believe we can all concede it is com.
petitive." When three-ffths of the
consumption of imported goods that
certainly ought to be satisfactory
competition without any reduction OF
rates to bring about larger importa.
lions. There is no trust in tn s bust
ness and the average profits have been
less than per cent. Included in the
import figures OF the government are
many goods OF special character
made Of pottery ware, but not used
b. 0r sold to the crockery trade which
should be excluded from any compar-
iscu. The import figures are the
vg'uo of the foreign product where
wa'e, and there has been a great
dee! Of undervaluation in imports in
or "fery, chinaware, etc. The i'm.