The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-08-20
Oxalfc Acid-.Made In America.

OXal1c aClQ IS uSeQ III LdnuluS, Cal
Eco printing wooden and silk dying,
especially the bleaching of straw fol
hats and bonnets The laundries also
use rearly 100000 pounds year In
whitening shirts and collars. From
eight to ten million pounds are an
l,nually consumed in. this country, and
iprior to 1903 it all came from Ger
i.many, England. Norway, Belgium and
Austria, which countries had com
|bined to form a syndicate to control
the price all over tho world. Prices
to the United States at that time
ranged from eight to eleven cents 2
pound. The syndicate was controlled
iby Germany, from which came three
fourths of tie acid.
In 1903 the manufacture of oxalic
lacid was undertaken on small scale.
experimentally, in this country the
plant being located In Pennsylvania.
No sooner did the construction OF this
plant come to the attention of the
syndicate than prices dropped, in 1903
to 4.7c; 1904, Acc; 1905, 4.Tc; 1906,
sc This sort Of pr:ce-cutt1ns
knocked the American company out OF
the ring, and Immediately the oxalic
syndicate raised the price to seven
and one-half cents and in 1907 to
nine cents. In 1908 the American
company made another start and the
syndicate dropped the price to six
cents.
|. The Republican revision Of the
tariff was up about that time, and the
American company presented figures
which induced Congress to give
protective duty of two cents a pound
on oxalic acid. This duty was oaseo
solely on the difference in cost of
Lob ut
per pound of product, and did not take
into account the overhead charges
and selling costs. When this duty
went into effect the foreign price
went to seven and one-half cents,
where 1t remained through 1910. 1911
and 1912. BY some pretty close ffgur-
ing the American company was able
to operate at profit, and it acted as
a check on the foreign syndicate
methods of price controlling A large
share Of the annual consumption was
being manufactured in the United
States. the only money going abroad
was for the purchase of potash. the
raw material; American labor was be-
ling employed at wages which enabled
the men to be good customers of the
lcIothter and the food producer, and
The country was the possessor of a
new Industry. which would, If prop
| erly fostered. render us wholly in
ldepndent of Germany.
Then came the destructive tariff
Legislation of the Democratic party,
which sneaked into the capitol through
crack IN the protective party wall.
The duty on oxalio acid was cut
twenty-five per cent. This was too
low FOR protection, but it gave the for
e;gn syndicate the opportunity 1t
dump oxalic acid on this market and
| it lost no time in taking advantage
Iof it. The first quarter of the fiscal
year 1914. under Republican law,
100000 pounds were imported; the
second quarter, when the Underwood
llaw took effect, 1,T2O 600 came in; the
third quarter, 2.6000O0; the fourth
quarter 1850 900 pounds. Then came
the war. acting as a high tariff and
the American company IS now recov-
fering from the shock. Even yet
thowever, the importatfons for the ten
months ending April. 1915. amounted
to 100000 pounds. II that cent and
half duty remains In the law when
the the war has ended, Germany will
band the American company side
winder from which it will never re-
cover, and another skeleton will be
found lying alongside the Democratic
trail.
i An Italian nriest who has invent t