New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-25
Crea, Circle Craftsmanship.

With this administration II seems 10 DC
a principle TO avoid straight lines and 70
travel instead in spirals or circles. here
is the coal-tar dyestuff situation, for eX-
annie The war cut off the normal sup
n,y Of dvestufs used by American manu-
facturers. since Germany had practically
p MONOPOLY of their production. Neces-
sitv is the mother Of invention. SO Amer
leans set out TO produce the dyes which
they had previously been content to pur-
chase from Germany
According 70 statements made 70 the
Society Of Chemical Industry in this city
the other night by Dr. Edward Ewing
Pratt. Chief Of the Bureau Of Foreign
and Domestic Commerce of Mr.. Rediield's
Commerce Department, the effort to Gre
ate an American coal-tar dyestuff indus
try has been remarkably successful We
have the raw material, the markets, the
technical skill and the capital TO develop
this new industry. "Our total production
of coal-tar dyestuT material at the pres
emit moment" said Dr. Pratt. "is probably
over three times the production prior to
the European war In July, 1914. we
were saving a scant 10 per cent Of the
coke by-products by means Of by-product
recovery coke plants; to-day we are saw
ing not less than 20 per cent
There is only one obstacle TO the domes-
.cation Of the coal-tar dyestuf industry.
That is tire threat that at the close Of the
war the highly organized German trust
VIII invade our market and kill off the
American producer by underselling him.
Some years ago a New York concern or
-anized 20 manufacture coal-tar dyestuff
was put out of business in just that way.
DR.. Pratt and Mr.. Redfeld admit that
there is danger Of the new American in
dustry being strangled. They admit also
that TO permit such piece of industrial
piracy would be a rank injustice 70 Amer
lean capital now being invested in the
manufacture Of coal-tar dyestuffs. Our
economic efficiency would be lowered if
we had to go back to the old state Of de-
pendency on the German trust
But how does the Commerce Depart
rcnt intend 20 protect the American pro-
du-er from his grasping German rival?
The straightforward, common sense meth
Cd would be to put protective duty on
coal-tar dyestuffs A duty would prevent
the German trust from dumping goods
here except at prohibitive loss. So long
as an adequate duty was maintained the
domestic manufacturer would be guaran-
teed against a competition intended to be
simply and solely destructive.
But because Mr. Redfeld is opposed to
the idea Of protection through tariff duties
he wants to put off the people whom he
asks 10 invest their money in the new dye
stuff industry with a promise TO secure
them against unfair competition in some
other way. Needless 70 say. that way is
unnecessarily circuitous and dubious. In
stead Of keeping dumped German dye
stufTs out by tariff duty, easily collected,
Mr. Redfield wants TO let the goods come
in and tlen proceed, under the provisions
of the Trade Commission law, against
corporations or individuals who buy or
sell such dumped goods.
II the government permits dumped
foreign goods 70 enter it thereby lifts
any moral or legal ban on the sale or
purchase of such goods in our market.
Ii would be absurd to try 10 penalize per
sons dealing In such goods on the ground
Of "unfairness" 10 domestic producers
after the government, having complete
control Of importations. has declined TO
exclude them from entry. If the govern
ment itself sanctions the "unfairness" Of
dumping by non-interference at the source
how can IT logically prosecute corpora
tions or persons who do not see any IN
fairness in buying supplies passed through
the Custom House at what looks to them
like bargain
\ MT kedheld wants 10 keep the door
y VIDE open 10 unfair foreign competition
ana then hunt up and punish the Ameri-
cans TO whom the bumpers are permitted
TO sell their products. That is like the
householder who refuses to screen his
house against mosquitoes, preferring "a
let the pests in and then kill them or In.
dividually
1t is this sort Of craftsmanship whicr
is bringing the administration into gen
eral diScredit with the business commu
nifty. Mr. McAdoo wants TO reinvigorat,
our merchant marine by first killing Of
all the merchant marine which we now
have. Mr.. Redfeld wants 20 encourage a
new industry by promising to prosecute
those who buy the goods Of its foreign
competitors. instead of making it impossi-
bic for foreign competitors 10 get their
goods into our market at cutthroat figures.
1t is all the same thing-walking
through maze, avoiding straight lines,