The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-01
A Concrete Example

| A concrete Example | For instance, for the sake of illustra- | tion, it may be assumed tha. a iobbins | house in the dress goods trade does d
 business of s1,0o0,OJ0 a year, although
 many of them do much more than that.
 As manufacturing conditions now are in 1 the United States, of that $l ,O00. coo $500 000 would represent commodities which for l eign manufactures could put upon our market at an average of 40 per cent less than the American manufacturers can do Then. again, about S20o,OO0 would represent commodities which the foreign manufacturers under the new tariff law can market in the United States at about 20 per cent less than the American manu- lecturers could do. Of the $1, ,0O0. GOO S2OO,- 900 would represent commodities which the American jobbers may market in successful competition with the foreign
 manufacturer.
 In May, therefore, and the early part of June the American manufacturers Will have ample opportunity to learn whether so great a proportion of the domestic
 market as the figures above quoted rep resent will or will not be captured hy the foreign manufacturers This situa- tion explains why it is that in this great market of dress goods the present IS a time of waiting and of doubt If it should be disclosed by midsummer that the foreign importations are commanding to considerable extent domestic markets heretofore held by American manufac- turers than one of two alternatives must
 be accepted by these manufacturers anl jobbers. There must be earnest attempt so to change the conditions of mantl- facture, so to perfect economies so to alter selling methods as to make it pos- sible for American- made goods to com pete in price and in quality with the commodities offered by foreigners or else
 there must be withdrawal of capital per haps in large amount. which is nov en-
 gagged in the manufacture of these goods. A Question of Competition
 Some of those who are familiar with the American trade in dress goods pro- fess to be hopeful that our manufac- turers will be able so to readjust them selves to the new tariff conditions as to
 be able to meet the competition which in all probability the foreign nianIi- lecturers will offer by midsummer of this year.
 The dealers all over the United States.
 especially those who have been acc,ls-
 toned in the past to give orders in May or June for dress goods which are to be delivered months later. are convinced
 that foreign manufacturers will send many salesmen to the United States not later than June who will be able 10 quote lower prices for the kind of dress goods which the American markets de- mand than our own manufacturers can do. For that reason the dealers are likely to refrain from giving orders in May or at least to wait until they csIn
 see what the foreign manufacturers have
 to offer and what the prices for these
 goods will be-
 This situation is of especial interest
 since it tends to explain why the low
 tariff law has not seemed especially to
 affect the great markets of the United
 States for dress goods. Probably an ex-
 planation somewhat akin to this will
 also explain the apparently impercept-
 able effect of the new tariff upon. other
 American markets than those of dress
 goods