White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1916-01-14

Recently It was reported fro m
Washington that the administration
had in mind a measure to be termed
an "anti-dumping" law, the idea be-
ing to prevent the unloading of Eu-
ropes surplus products on the United
States after the war. Concerning this
so-called dumping" writer in Ma
TONS Business says:
Dumping" as the term is now
commonly used, means selling goods
in foreign country at lower price
than the market price in the country
of production. The term implies an
unloading of surplus product.
ample. Germany has 80 far out
classed all other countries in the pro-
duction of dyestuffs that it is no ex-
aggeration to say that she has con-
trolled the markets of the world. At
odd intervals efforts have been made
to establish coal tar plants in this
country. Such efforts, at least prior
to the European war, proved unsuc-
cessful. There may be many theories
as to the failure of these efforts, and
there may be even some diversity of
opinion as to whether it is possible
to establish coal tar industry in
this country on sufficiently sub
stantial basis to compete successfully
with the German plants.
Whatever diversity of opinion may
exist, however, there is no doubt that
one of the chief causes of failure to
establish coal tar industry here has
been the ruinous competition from
abroad in the form of the dump"
The small plants which have been
started in this country for the manu-
facture of dyestuffs, or their inter-
mediate products, have had similar
experiences. No sooner have these
plants reached a position to put up
some show of competition with the
imported articles, than the prices Of
these imported articles have at once
dropped below any reasonable cost Of
production. The results have always
been the same-failure.
We thus have situation, so far as
the coal tar industry is concerned,
where an industry, firmly established
in foreign country and there con-
trolled through the fundamentally Of
the syndicate or cartel combinations
prohibited here under our antitrust
laws), is in position to dominate
the markets of the United States.
There is ample evidence that this
domination has taken the form Of I'M
derselling or dumping with the ex-
press purpose Of destroying or him
dering the development of the indus
try here. Such competition can only
be described as unfair, and, unless
there is some form Of governmental
action to relieve this situation, there
is every prospect Of the old methods
present war.
The evils Of dumping have been
recognized in the laws Of at least two
countries, Canada and Australia.
The Canadian law (customs act OF
1907 undertakes to prevent dumping
by imposing an import duty, in addi-
ton to all other duties, on all articles
Of class or kind produced in Can
ada if the export price or actual sell
ing price to an importer in Canada is
less than the fair market value of
the same article when sold for home
consumption in the usual and ordi-
nary course in the country whence
exported to Canada The amount of
this dumping duty, up to an arbitrary
maximum Of Is per cent ad valorem,
is equal to the difference between the
export, or actual selling price for ex.
port to Canada, and the fair market
value for home consumption. By or.
der in council the Canadian law has
been extended to free list articles as
we'll as dutiable articles. A series OF
departmental regulations have per
fected the law, and Canadian Gus
toms officials say that the law has
worked successfully.
The Australian law approaches the
subject from a somewhat different
point of view, dumping falling within
class of acts called unfair com
petition" The very title Of the Aus
tralian law indicates it's scope, name
ly-"Australian industries preserva
ton act"
Give me but the liberty Of the press
and I will give to the minister We