Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-08
M|LtERS SEE RUIN
UNDER NEW TARIFF
Declare Schedules of Under
wood Bill Would Close
Their Mills.
MANUFACTURERS HERE
SEEKING BETTER TERMS
Want President Invested With Pow
er to Increase Rates When It
Becomes Advisable.

Becomes Advisable.
producers in various lines. called by
the Illinois Manufacturers Associa-
tion met today at the Raleigh Hotel to
devise ways and means for urging upon
Congress that the Underwood tariff bill
shall be So phrased as to give the
President power to negotiate tariff in
creases if he finds that the working Of
the tariff law requires them in the in
terest of the country.
The deliberations Of the conference
are expected TO be extended and some
of the most prominent manufacturers
of the country are in attendance upon
it, among them ]. Kirby, jr.. of Ohio.
ers' Associations; John f. Wilder, presi-
dent of the National Association of
tanners; C. A. Byers of Baltimore, Md.
c. {. Houston. Lewisburg. Tenn; George
W. Blake. Worcester. Ohio: Julian Scott.
cambridge, n. Y; j. r. Watson. Chi
cago. ILL.,: w. S. Thomas. Springfield.
Ohio; F. f. Meyers, Ashland, Ohio, and
Paul E. Herschel, Peoria. Ill.
Hope for Fair Treatment.
Mr.. Wilder gave out statement in
behalf of all the manufacturers and
producers. in which he said. in part:
"A great many manufacturers and
producers have taken seriously the
statement that has gone out from
Washington that there is no use in
protesting, and many industries are
hay Tot
ter as 1t may be, and lit is even re-
ported from the middle west that 4
large shoe manufacturer is negotiat-
ing for the establishment of a shoe
to have the advantage of the cheap
labor This is only one instance.
1t would seem. however. in view of the
action of President Wilson, in requesting
the Secretary of Commerce and Labor
to institute certain Investigations as to
the effect the proposed bill will have on
certain industries, that the manufacturers
and producers of the country still have a
chance to secure fair treatment. There
are also other indications that the Senate
will not as readily as has been supposed
comply with the demands of the more
radical leaders and push the bill through
as ii comes from the House, without any
changes.
Paragraph A of the Underwood bill
specifically states that the President is
trade agreements with foreign nations,
wherein mutual concessions are made look
ing toward freer trade relations and fur
Their reciprocal expansion of trade and
commerce. The manufacturers contendt ha t
If the President is given power to nego-
tiate concessions he also should be given
power to negotiate an increase when the
situation demands it,
Ruin for Flour Mills.
Coincident with the giving out Of Mr..
Wilder's statement, A. P. Walker. repre-
senting the milling interests of the coun-
try, today gave out a statement at the
Willard Hotel, in which he charges that
the American farmer will lose the sale
of 800, 100000 bushels of wheat annually
ground by American mills. and that the
price of a loaf OF bread will be reduced
only fourteen one-hundredths of l cent.
if the provisions of the Underwood tariff
bill are put into effect.
If the bill is passed In it's present
FORM" Mr. Walker says, Canada. with
her numerous modern, well equipped
United States milled fours.'' and, he de-
clares, the milling industry Of the United
States will be wiped out of existence.
Under the Underwood bill it is provided
that wheat -four and semOlina shall be
placed on the free list. with the proviso
that wheat flour shall be subject to a
duty of 10 per cent when imported from
a country which imposes duty on wheat
flour imported from the United States.
Mr. Walkers statement says. in part:
No Benefit to Consumer.
THE object of the proposed bill is to
reduce the price of bread stuffs by adj
hitting flour free and to protect the
American farmer by imposing duty Of
10 cents per bushel on wheat.
mo such result would be accomplished
by the enactment of this proposition into
law.
"A barrel Of flour will make approx
mately go loaves of bread. Therefore, a
reduction of ~ cents per barrel in the
price of flour would mean "A reduction
Of fourteen -hundredths Of l cent, or
one and fourteenth mills per loaf Can
any one imagine that such a small re-
duction will benefit the consumer of a
fiye-cent loaf Of bread? On the con-
trary, this extremely minute profit will
inevitably be absorbed by the baker
and retailer, without reducing the cost
or benefiting the ultimate consumer
by free -four.
Canadian wheat, no American mills could
compete and the milling industry would
go to Canada. Under these circum-
stances, the ten-cent per bushel duty on
wheat would be of little benefit to the
farmer, as he would lose the sale of a
large proportion of the wheat now
ground by the millers of this country
who cannot afford to pay higher price
than their English, Canadian, French or
German rivals.
1T has already been stated that the
mills of this country grind JOO,OOO,OOO
bushels of wheat annually.
The loss to the farmer of a consumer
of this magnitude would mean disaster"
Dat Millers' Complaint.
The contention of the wheat people
is also made by one of the largest cereal
| manufacturing concerns in the world.
with mills at Buffalo, n. y, which OBJ
iects to the provision of the Underwood
bill for duty of Oats, 10 cents per
bushel of thirty-two pounds" when COM
pared with the provisions i'm which "Oat-
| meal and rolled oats and oat hulls' are
| placed on the free list. In a statement
given out by the cereal people. they say:
| ITO place finished product of any
kind on the free list, while leaving the
raw materials from which the finished
product is made on the list of dutlable
articles is simply to discriminate unjust
/ ly against the American manufacturer
and i'm this case, the discrimination is sd
| business. The House caucus appears to
| have recognized this In the case Of buck
| wheat which was dutiable at s cents pei
barrel in the bill II. r. 10 originally in.
PRODUCED by Mr.. Underwood Buckwhea,
has now been placed with buckwheat
| flour on the free list
| IF it is right that Congress should re-
| frain from uniuStIy injuring the business