The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-07-20
No Protection Against Chinese
Eggs.

WASHINGTON, D. c., July II, 1916.
For the protection of American industry
there is nothing that will take the place
of a protective tariff. Consequently,
there is lamentation in the Web foot
State. Ever since the passage of the
Underwood tariff abomination, which
placed eggs on the free list, the State of
Oregon, and the Pacific coast generally,
has been a dumping place for Chinese
eggs. The Oregon markets have been
glutted with hen fruit laid at time
when Confucius was
IA somewhat polite bodied boy
Who knuekled at the taw."
Sosevere was the competition TO which
Oregon egg producers were subjected
that the State legislature took cogniz-
ance of the situation and passed law
know as the Chinese egg law" provid-
ing that vendors and users of Oriental
eggs should display sign declaring
such eggs to be imported.
Recently, the State took legal action,
under this law, against one ]. G. Jacob
son, who was convicted in the circuit
court of violating the law by offering
for sale cake, the ingredients of which
were partly composed of eggs imported
| from China, without displaying sign in
his salesroom bearing the words, 'Im-
| ported eggs used here" On appeal to
the State Supreme Court this decision
was reversed on the ground that the law
| invaded the domain of legislation given
| to Congress, and violated Section s, Ar
| ticle /, of the United States Constitu-
ton. jacobson may continue to use
Chinese post-pliocene eggs in his cakes.
The Chinese selling price of eggs
brings up an interesting question rela-
! tive to the anti-dumping clause which
! the Democrats are holding forth as vote
catching bait. This clause proposes to
| lay duty, generally placed at IS per
cent, against any products dumped in
the United States at prices lower than
the fair market price in the country of
origin. Of course any price at which
I products may be readily disposed of in a
foreign country is fair market price,
so far as that country is concerned.
Oscar King Davis, correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune, while travelling in
China for his paper a short time ago,
wrote: THE retail price in the Eastern
part of the United States, with which
happen t" be familiar last year, was ap-
proximately cents per egg. The retail
price in the part of China which have
just visited is eight-seventieth of a
cent per egg. One egg at home is worth
rs IL eggs in this province.
Vice Consul Gilbert, of Marking, China,
last year reported consignments of eggs
| from China to the Pacific Coast at four
and six-tenths cents dozen, and frozen
eggs at three cents dozen.
In addition to these remarkably low
| prices for Chinese eggs, the fact remains
| that the price of eggs in the United
States is constantly fuctuating. There
| is not an actuary or politician, or a
tariff expert in the United States who
! could prescribe dumping duty applicable
to eggs imported from China. This is
but one more example of the fact that a
dumping duty is of absolutely no value
unless it works in conjunction with pro-
tective tariff. The Republican party
stands for protective tariff, and once it
is IN power the legislature of the State of
Oregon will not have to puzzle itself in
attempts to enact laws to counterfeit an
| evil forced on them by the Democratic
policy of free trade.
Children Ury
E0R FaETcHER'S