The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-12-17
MANUFACTURERS AND
BANKERS AGREE

That the present duty Of 35 pei
cent. on wooden goods was too low
TO provide adequate Protection to the
domestic industry and that the time
will soon come when the manufac-
turers of the country shall have the
right to demand that the errors In
Schedule X be speedily corrected
were among the striking statements
made by President RobertsT Francis,
of the American Association of Wool
en- and Worsted Manufacturers at the
ninth annual meeting which was held
at the Waldorf-Astoria yesterday. In
his address President Francis said
| desire also TO acknowledge the
modest but effective work of the Tex
tile Bureau. II Is gathering infOfma-
ton as to the proper classification of
merchandise which viii be Invaluable
in the formation of new Tariff, in
which particular the present Tariff
Is so obviously lacking. Few APP
precate the bureaus influence in its
assistance to port appraisers in fight
ing under-valuations.
The year which we are about to
close has not been one of unmixed
disaster in spite-rather than be-
cause-of the efforts and endeavors
of the present administration at
Washington. To state in detail the
consequences of the Underwood-Sim-
mons Tariff law to the wooden and
worsted industry of the country is
unnecessary.
Statistics placing in contrast i'm
ports of wooden and worsted fabrics
during the months preceding the out
break of the war and those covering
similar months in years of sufficient
Protective Tariff place beyond the
realm of discussion the extent to
which a duty of 35 per cent. fails to
adequately Protect our domestic in
dustry.
Merchandise landed here, and Off
erings by sample, and idle mills,
leave no doubt as to the hopelessness
of trying to compete with the foreign
manufacturer, and would, had moth
ing occurred to interrupt the foreig-
ners' progress, have constituted an
unanswerable argument for a higher
duty.
At this point l ask the question:
What proportion of our machinery
would have been in operation during
the past year had it not been for war
contracts?
The war came, and to it only may
be credited the improved condition
of our wooden mills which followed.
The time will soon come to take
up the task of repairing the errors
of the present Tariff law, and we
shall have a right to demand that
Schedule X be speedily corrected to
again give adequate Protection.
An imperative duty of the Wash
ington government, when Congress
a gain assemblies, will be the consider
alton of measures to prevent so-called
dumping" Our industry is appreh-
ensive, and justly so, as to the posi-
BILE consequences of such efforts on
the part of our foreign competitors.
This situation must be faced un-
equivocally. It will not be sufficient
to enact indefinite legislation leaving
to partisan or half-hearted officials
the establishment of post facto bar
riers against dumping.
We must expect after the war to
be faced by organized efforts to re-
cover lost trade-and more ruthless
will they be because of economic
pressure. The countries of Europe
must pay their debts, and to meet
these they will have but one commo-
dity. We have the raw materials
and the credits, therefore payment
must be made in the product of labor.
Reference to Protection demands
consideration of the dyestuff situa-
tion-to gauge which with any de-
gree of accuracy is difficult. Unques-
tionably American producers are
making much progress; they need
time, however; they need encourage
ment from us, and they have right
to demand from the government not
temporary aid, but permanent and
lasting protection and assistance in
such measure and method as to en-
courage the investment of sufficient
capital for the ultimate development
of the industry to a stage that will
make a recurrence of the present
pitiable condition impossible. In
other words, the magnitude of bus
mess, textile and other, directly de-
pendent upon dyestuffs makes it i'm
mona tive that som athiuQ he dana IN