The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-08-20
Oxalic Acid-sMnde in America.v

Oxalic acid is used in tanning. cali
| leo printing wooden and silk dying,
land in various bleaching processes.
especially the bleaching of straw fof
/ hats and bonnets. The laundrles also
use nearly 8 100000 pounds year in
whitening shirts and collars. From
! eight to ten million pounds are an
l,nually consumed in this country, and
lprior to 1903 it all came from Ger
Lmany, England, Norway, Belgium and
Austria, which countries had com
|.bined to form syndicate to control
the price all over the world. Prices
to the United States at that time
ranged from eight to eleven cents 2
pound. The syndicate was controlled
by Germany, from which came three
fourths of tie acid.
In 1903 the manufa cture of oxalic
lacid was undertaken on small scale,
texperimentally. 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 1908
to 47c; 1904, 4.6c; 1905. 4.1c; 1906,
|:5.2c. This sort Of pr;ce-cutt1ns
knocked the American company ont OF
the ring, and Immediately the oxalic
syndicate raised the price to seven
and one-half cents and in 1907 to
Zine cents. In 1903 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 fgures
which induced Congress to give q
protective duty of two cents a pound
on oxalic acid. This duty was naseG
solely on the difference in cost of
tcommon labor at home and abroad,
per pound of product, and did not take
into account tho 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, 1871
and 1912. BY some pretty close tigur-
ing the American company was able
to operate at a profit. and 1t acted as
la 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 or potash. the
raw material; American labor was be-
ing employed at wages which enabled
the men to be good customers of the
cIothier and the food producer, and
The country was the possessor of a
new industry, which would, if prop
DEPENDENT of Germany.
Then came the destructive tariff
Legislation of the Democratic party.
which sneaked into the capitol through
la crack m the protective party wall.
The duty on oxallc acid was cut
TWENTY-FIVE per cent. This was too
low for protection, hut it gave the for
e.gn syndicate the opportunity it
dump oxalic acid on this market and
lit lost no time in taking advantage
of it. The first quarter of the fiscal
year 1914. under Republican law.
1900 600 pounds were imported; the
second quarter, when the Underwood
law took effect, 1,T201oo came in; the
third quarter, 2,6000OO; the fourth
tquarter, ESQ 900 pounds. Then came
the war. acting as high tariff and
the American company IS now recov-
Iering from the shock. Even yet.
however, the importations for the ten
months ending April, 1918, amounted
Ito 100000 pounds. II that cent and
a half duty remains in the law when
the the war has ended. Germany Will
band the American company side
winder from which 1t will never re-
cover, and another skeleton will be
found lying alongside the Democratic
trail.
An Italian priest who has invent
ed many wireless devices has sue
eeeded In interceting messages with
needles thrust through potato.