The Sentinel=record., 1913-01-10
BIG BUSINESS INTERESTS OBJECT TO REMOVAL OF DUTIES ON
 MANY IMPORTS.
UNDERWOOD FOR COMPETITION
Says He Would Like to See Compel. tive Conditions All Along the Line-Sharp Tilt With a Big
 New York Importer.

Washington, Jan. 9.-1 would like to see a competitive tariff all along the line," announced Chairman Un- derwood of the ways and means com. mittee democratic leader of the house at the final hearing on the earthen ware, earth and glassware schedule today.
 Mir Underwood had been hearing arguments aimed at securing and lowering of the tariff of fifty-five and sixty percent to thirty and thirty five per cent ad valoren on China eafthenware, porcelain, stone and crockeryware, including clock cases, statutes, steins, lamps and host of similar articles taxed at the higher rate in sections 93 and 45 of sched- ule II" of the Payne Aldrich tariff law.
 Tt looks to me-" Mir. Underwood sald, "as if schedules 93 and 45 are more competitive than most of the paragraphs we have to deal with. That is my judgment, subject to res ervation if any information is brought out that might develop to the con- trary"
 This view was radically divergent from the presentation of the importers case by M. s. Pitcairn Of New York city, whose protest against ! the 1exorbitaney-rof the present sar- itf and portrayal of the details of the business Of bringing in English and other earthenware products led to sharp colloquies with representative Payne of New York and Longworth of Ohio. MT. Pitcairn said that under the present tariff earthenware i'm rortaitons were steadily going down. MT. Payne suggested that if the wit ness statements were true the im- porters would go out of business in thirty days. MT. Pitcairn cited what he said were actual transactions and Mir. Payne attacked them.
 Do you doubt the integrity of those statements?" shouted the wit ness. Mir. Payne persisted and the 1 witness said he could produce the entries from the treasury. MT. Pay ne replied that even the treasury de- partment could not produce mir acles."
 MT. Pitcairn said that 90 percent of earthenware imported is British. Eliminate the English earthen- ware" he continued, "and you will have no competition in searthenware in this country" He suggested a 35 and 30 percent ad yaloren on these products and changes in the classi- l fications in the two sections involy- ed and in the administration part of l the bill
 MT. Pitcairn said he had heard of under valuations at New York but knew nothing of them. Hefind no knowledge of any assoclation of French importers and that the im- | porters had to sell their goods at fifty per cent higher prices than American products.
 Several other importers of other i products urged lower tariff, while retention of the present rates was the slogan of representatives of American manufacturers.
 v S+ 4fNthai OA kltNSitAIut UItSI- dent of an association of window glass workers, pleader for the pres ent tariff protection on window glass to guard against the Belgian products. He told of conditions among Belgian labor. citing contracts that Belgian I workmen have to sign. Some of the committee were disposed to believe ne had been sent to Washington by the National Window Glass associa- tion-the empoyers--but he said he came at the instance of alis working mems organization.
 :, The association did not pay your expenseses?7 he was asked.
 Absolutely no,." be replied. He said the tariff protection should be at least little more than enough .l to represent the difference in the cost of labor, as the American win dow glass workers though working under better conditions than abroad still had wages that were too low. "The skilled workman" he said, 'av.
 craze $15 week for the whole year
 and the unskilled worlxmen $10 a
 week."
 The witness was warned by demo
 cratic members not to accept too free
 ly the statements that greater impot- , rations of foreign products would lessen American wages. He replied
 that 1t was a vital matter to his or. } ganization and that if the tariff was { made sufficient to enable them tc maintain their organization they