The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-01-25

A real BUuSAW
Curious Example Showing
its a Dangerous Thing
to Monkey With"
COTTON MANS OPINION
Imposition Of 20 Per Cent Duty on
Ivory Ttsks Has Wiped Out Export :
Trade in East Africa.
COTTON MANS OPINION

A New England manufactures, OF cheap
cotton cloths, while In Washington the
other day, says the New York Evening
Posts Washington correspondent, was
asked casually by one Of his ac1uain-
tances, "How's business with Your He
made this surprising reply. I'VE have
been hurt and very much disturbed by
the changed conditions in the billiard
ball business" Then he went on to tell.
by way of explanation of this odd reply,
a curious and interesting story. which
shows more clearly than any amount Of
abstract philosophical argument why
business men. and ; particularly manu-
facturers, become apprehensive and con-
cerned when the tariff Is about to be
revised, whether upward or downward.
This Ia the tale he told:
The tariff 10 like q buzz saw: it's a
dangerous thing to monkey with. You
never know when and how you are go
ing to be hurt when Congress starts to
make changes in the schedules. I, AZ q
manufacturer, am a pretty good pro-
tectionist, even though i did vote for
Woodrow Wilson. I believe In an adequate
protection OF American industries, and
nobody could have made me believe q
year ago that any American industry
could be hurt or disturbed by raising the
tariff duties on any item In the schedules;
yet my own business has been disturbed.
an outlet for my product has been closed.
and have had to open up q new Held
of business. because the Underwood tariff
act contains this phrase:
Ivory tusks in their natural state, or
cut vertically across the grain only.
with the bark left intact. 20 per centum
ad valorem.'"
Wiped Out Export Trade.
''Tusk ivory has always been on the
free list until the Democrats, In making
their last tariff bill, put 20 per centum
ad valorem duty on 1t. You naturally
ask what q duty on tusk ivory has got
to do with the cotton-cloth business
would have asked the same question q
little while ago. Now / know, and to
my cost I'll tell you. Tusk ivory comes
from East Africa. and transferring Il
from the free list to a duty Of % per
cent has just about wiped out our ex-
port trade to the ivory coast. amounting
to about 5000. 900 per year.
Since 1919 one firm has been export.
Ing American products to. East African
and Red Sea ports. in exchange for the
products Of those countries, the chief
of which has always been ivory. The
chief exports v: ried in the past, but of |
ate years cotton-cloth has supplanted
other. exports. For the collection and |
shipment OF ivory, &c. to this country,
and for the sale and distribution Of cot
on goods in the East. this firm main |
aimed houses, for example, at Zanzibar,
Alden, and KhaStum, or Om- |
iurman, and was about to establish q |
house in the Congo. At such places the 1
Ictual collection OF the ivory through
tut the elephant country. and the final |
of the cotton goods. are |
lone by native traders with whom the |
inn made the exchange, and to whom /
II gave credit as high as $50
%. They would not take our cottons
lnless We bought their ivory. Cotton
10th for a long time has been a recog-
lied medium OF exchange. and more
desirable than money. Thus in Mombasa
he trade Is through an Indian. Sir Ali
'iseram. who maintains many stations
n to the Uganda country, at Zanzibar,
through Hassam Baladina. and at Alden,
through Menahem Mesa
While the tariff bill was pending, Ar
old Cheney & Co, of New York, through |
HON our products were sold, and ex-
hanged for tusk ivory In Africa, made
to the Senate Finance I
Committee of what would happen to the