Evening journal., 1916-07-15

from this State to he disposed permit IT to he
done without raising bis voice in protest Most per-
viii agree, think, that it is high time for the
employees Of such explosives manufacturing
and the of securities to bestir themselves and
insist that adequate protection he given to them in
their employment and investments.
In the case of explosives manufacturers the Omnibus
Revenue bill provides an excise tax Of five per cent
on the amount Of gross receipts not in excess OF
sl,OOO,0oO and eight per cent Of the amount by which
such receipts exceed S1,OOOOOO. An allowance
Of ten per cent investment is made before the tax
is levied. II is asserted, however, that such allow
ance is grossly inadequate when the nature Of the pow
der manufacturing business taken into consideration.
II also is conended that with ten per cent as the maxi
allowance, no could afford TO take the risks
of the minimum.
Scrutiny Of the bill also reveals the fact that under
the taxing scheme proposed would be possible for the
Federal Government to take sixty per cent of
plosiyes companys net profits, leaving to the
pany only forty per cent
That is the treatment that 1t is proposed to accord
to the DUPONT Company, DeIaware's largest industry
and largest employer of labor That company has paid
out si5OOOOOO to labor employed by It directly and as
much to labor indirectly, such labor being EN-.
ployed by individuals, firms and corporations which
have done work for and received orders from the du-
Pont Company.
Another serious objection to the Omnibus bill is that
II discrimlnates shamefully against explosives
panies While five and eight per cent taxes pro-
posed against such companies, the taxes proposed
against manufacturers Of guns, cartridges. shells, etc
are graded follows;
Two per cent. on gross receipts not in excess OF
$4,000.
Three per cent on gross receipts not in excess of
s5OOOOO.
-Four per cent on gross receipts not in excess OF
Si.OOO,OOO.
Five per cent on gross receipts not in excess of
siOOOOOOO.
The discrimination revealed in those sliding scales
shows that deliberate drive is being made against
pIosves manufacturers, of which the DUPONT Company
is the largest and at the time. the leading indus
try in our State If the bill containing that dscrimi-
nation passes the Senate and is approved by the Pres
dent Il probably will that many explosives mills
will shut down and that their employees will he thrown
out of employment. As Senator Salisbury has the
reputation of exercising much influence in the Capitol
and the White House, the employees OF the big corpora
tiOns quite naturally look to him to protect them
against such destructive work as Is proposed by the
! bill now pending in the Senate.
Senator Salisbury arranged to give the Chamber OF
Commerce delegation a hearing today. That is all
very well so far II goes. II is not much a ques
tion of his readiness TO hear representations against
the measure n is Of what his attitude toward
will be when II up In the United States Sem
ate If he opposes the hill there and helps to defeat
It, his action will merit and receive public cOmmenda-
tiOn. On the other hand II he supports the hill and
assists in striking blow at the thousands of work.
ing and working women who earn their liveli'
hood through explosives manufacturing cOmpan-
les. he viii be publicly condemned We hope for his
own sake and for the sake Of State that he will
pursue the former