Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-14
POSTWAR BATTLE
70 CONTROL TRADE
AMERICAN AND GERMAN MANU-.
FAcTURERs TO ENGAGE IN
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES.
U. s. TO SEEK TO RETAIN
NEW CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Business Developed in America Be-
cause Of Embargo on Dyestuffs Will
BE Source Of Commercial Dissension
German Manufacturers Serve Frank
Notice on v. S. Manufacturers.
Especial Correspondence.

Especial Correspondence
| Washingt On, Oct 14.-One Of the
anomalies of the European war has
been the regularity with which the
Weekly Report of the American Assoc
citation of Commerce and Trade Of
Berlin has reached It's addresses in
! the United States. This association is
supported primarily by men engaged
| in trade with the United States. Its
secretary is an American, or was be-
! fore the war broke out, but majority
! Of its directors are Germans; and as
! the association has been given semi
official standing by the German gov
eminent, whatever is published in the
weekly report may properly be re-
garded as an authoritative statement
| of fact or opinion. In view of these
| circum stances. an utterance in a re-
cent issue relative to the chemical in
oustry of Germany will be read with
| interest on this side of the water
One Of the most difficult struggles
American manufacturers will be called
upon to make after the close of the
war will be to retain in this country
! certain branches of the chemical in
dustry. especially those lying at the
base of the dyeStuffs trade, which they
have been compelled to develop by the
shutting off of German supplies. The
German houses making these import
ant coal tar products are extremely
rich, are well uTsanil5d and compactlv
located and receive the assistance Of
the German government whenever
they need it TO extend their foreign
trade
War Changes Trade Channels.
According to the weekly report. the
German chemical industry produces to
the value of about $3.50, 100000 a year,
and onehalf OF the product is ex
ported Because of the war exports
to Germany's enemies ceased entirely
and were considerably reduced to
oversea countries like. the United
States, while, on the other hand. i'm
ports of raw material were much i'm
peded. On the outbreak of the war
the German chemical industry was
necessarily transferred at once from a
peace to a war basis. This transfer
| ence was one Of the greatest indus
trial problems presented by the war
| and the principal factor involved was
/! the manufacture of saltpeter from the
! air, the foreign supply having been
; cut off. The skillful Germans solved
! their problem and thus, according to
the weekly report Germany was freed
/ from dependence upon saltpeter i'm
/; ports. In the line Of anilne dyestuffs
| the stoppage of exports to hostile
! countries afforded the German user of
dyestuffs all the material he needed,
10 t. -
! ly report, to supply dyestuffs used in
neutral countries. Notwithstanding the
embargo on exports OF such products,
as special permits may be obtained.
| The German chemical establishments
are said not to suffer from lack OF
help. as workers from less prosperous
industries are employed and special
| lists are released from military service.
Will Seek Independence.
The United States-for presumably
congress will follow the suggestions of
the government chemical experts and
OF dyestuf manufacturers-is deter
mined to make herself relatively in
dependent OF the German syndicates
and to use her own enormous re-
sources, in coal and in coke ovens and
rendering plants. to establish firmly in
this country an industry which lies at
the foundation Of hundred important
I lines GS manu- a cture Legislation to
this end is contenp plated. The first
call is for an anti-dumping clause in
the tariff act. Secretary of Commerce
! William c. Redfield has intimated that
he would regard such a clause as suf-
ficient legislation-upon which state
ment he has been sharply criticised by
George w. Perkins, who has pointed
out that unless heavy protective duties
are levied also the proposed dumping
clause would prove unavoidable, as
American consular agents would find
4 it impossible to ascertain abroad the
facts upon which resort to the pro-
I visions Of an exclusion act could be
made. The republican party naturally
would favor duties along with the
dumping clause and would command
a united business support for the pro-
position.
I Whatever may be done by the United
| States congress. the German manufac-
+; turers, according to the veracious
| weekly report, have no intention of
losing their oversee business in chem
icals and altho their warning is di-
rected at the moment against the enc
f; mics of that country, it happens to
apply with special force to the United
| States Following is their statement
as presented thru the useful columns
Of the weekly report:
| German producers Of chemicals, as
it seems, face calmly the efforts of the
enemy to produce such chemicals as
before the war were imported from
Germany. German manufacturers fol-
low closely any such effort and altho
. knowing the failure OF such attempts,
realize that each foreign competitor,
no matter how small will eventually
render difficult the reinstallation OF
old business connections. They figure
that their prominent and established
position in the worlds market is a
/ great advantage and which cannot be
readily attained, as such advantage is
] the result Of hard work and endeavor
They hope to occupy. after the war
the same position in the market"
i Frank Notice Served.
This is a frank notice. served upon
whom it may concern. that Germany
will use her great resources to the
utmost to throttle the growing chem
ical industry of the United States, the
campaign reaching the concerns "nc
matter. how small. DR.. Thomas II
Norton chemical expert of the depart-
4 ment of commerce. has spent the Iasi
| year irving to show American pro-
ducers how they might render the
United States independent Of chem
ical imports and he has insisted par