Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-03-12
New Tariff vindicated.

Sweeping refutation of charges made by
the manufacturers Of Montgomery county.
Pennsylvania. that the new tariff law is
hurting their business is contained in the
report Of special investigation made by
an expert of the Department Of Commerce.
The report, which was given out last Sat
urday. says the conditions complained Of
resulted from injurious trade customs"
and ''unintelIieent competition in certain
lines" and that the effect Of the tariff was
negligible.
The original charges were contained in
in letter addressed to President Wilson
by the Manufacturers Association of Mont
gomery County last December. This letter
pictured the plight Of the manufacturers
in that section as desperate. Because Of
the increased importations due to the I'm
derwo0d tariff, il was stated. mills were
operating at loss. men and women were
out Of work and conditions were fast ap-
preaching a state where women should
sit helpless in cold, dismallittle rooms and
their children face starvation"
The President directed Secretary of Com
merce Redfield to make full and impair
tial investigation. Special Agent D. NJ.
Barclay, Of the Bureau Of Foreign and Do
nestle Commerce, was assigned to the
work. He spent more than a month in
the inquiry, personally visiting each Of the
80 manufacturing establishments. 0fthese,
IL were not members Of the Manufacturers
Association. The 80 represented widely
diversified industries. Fifteen stated that
their business could in no way be affected
by the tariff. IL that the tariff rendered II
possible for foreien-made goods to COM
pete with their products and three, under
a single management, refused to give any
information. OF the IL asserting that they
could be hurt by foreign competition. five.
the report states, produced w-priced seam
less hosiery, five medium and low-priced
wooden cloth or carded wool products, une
cottonade and cotton worsteds, substi-
tute for low-priced wooden cloth, and
one wooden and worsted carpet yarns and
knitting yarns.
The report shows, in the first place, that
all 80 Of the establishments had 1929
employees on their payrolls in January and
February, as against $500 for the cor
responding period Of the previous year, the
greatest falling off being in the factories
producing seamless hosiery. II is shown
further that whereas the importations Of
hosiery in 1914 under the Underwood tariff
amounted to $3.144.645. as against So
O22,574 in 1908. nearly $4,000. 900 worth
of the 1914 importations were in grades
with which the Montgomery county fac.
tories do not profess to compete.
The report adds that one manufacturer
the largest maker Of hosiery in the world
doing business valued at 100000 {
year, exported to England and Germany
last year $50O.000 worth of hosiery.
As indicating general business condi
tons in the county. the report shows tina
the dividends Of the banking institution
Of Norristown. Pa. ran between and 2(
per cent. and that building operations il
the county last year exceeded those o
the year previous by about $2i7,000.
Regarding the conditions Of poverty com
planned Of in the letter Of the Manufac
turers' Association. the report shows tina
in the community Of between $4,000 ant
10000 persons. but rs applied for aid Il
the Associated Charities Of Norristown II
January. 1915. as against 20 in January
1914.
The report vigorously assailed the hosier.
manufacturers Of the county for slipshot
business methods. showing that many ar
unable because of their methods Of &C
counting to tell what their product cost
them to manufacture. Owing to the limiteC
amount Of capital required to start up il
the hosiery making business, Mr.. Barcla!
reports. disastrous competition was beinI
carried on in this line, manufacturers 60
ing to the extent of agreeing to let jobberI
have goods made up for them on condi
ton that the jobbers may, If they SO desire
cancel the orders at time Of delivery; anC
Furthermore agreeing to let the jobberI
have the goods at whatever may be thu
market price at the time Of delivery. re
gardless Of what the cost Of raw materials
at the time the contract was begun.
State Selling Trees At Cost.