The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-24

Dumping scares are always suspect
because they generally. originate in
quarAars hostile to the existing fiscal
system; but no fiscal bias is neces-
sarily involved in refusal to be
alarmed by the report that the Ger
mans have practiced the arts Of
peace so successfully in the midst of
war that they will be able to flood
our own and the neutral markets
with dumped merchandise, to the con-
fusion of honest trade, as soon as
their ships are once more free to
Leave their harhors. Positive evil
dence on the point is, indeed, difficult
to come by; but there are three prop
ositions which may be laid down with
some degree of confidence:
In the case Of the goods which
it has been easiest for Germany to
prepare for the markets in spite OF
the blockade, the question of dump
ing hardly arises, since they are goods
of which Germany virtually monopo-
Lies the raw material, or the secret.
or the plant.
2. 1t Is exceedingly improbable
that Germany has been able to ac-
cumulate any considerable stock OF
the class Of goods which we normally
associate with German competition.
3e If Germany has managed to
afnass such stocks, so much the bet
ter for the enemies whom she will
presently have to Indemnify for dam
age done. We
The goods falling under the first
head are such things as aniline dyes,
synthetic drugs. potash, and the. var
ious potassium salts. These things
/ lxyC an, at
our blockade of Germany has pro-
duced a real shortage of them
Throughout the world. Anyone who
doubts it has only to walk into the
first chemists shop he passes and
inquire the price of phenacetin, per-
nnanganate of potash. or bromide of
potassium. 4
The reopening of the German
market will. no doubt. bring down the
Eprice of these commodities: but that
is hardly a result which will derange
the course of honest trade. We want
the goods, and our own manufacture
ers and traders are not in position
to supply them; consequently, the
word dumping is out of place in
connection with them. Cadit Quaestio.
The real question: Does Germany
possess, at the present time, any ap-
preciable stock of such manufactured
! articles as compete, In normal timer
with our own industries and those of
our Allies? Mr.. Asqufth, questioned
on the subject the other day in the
House of Commons answered scep-
tiaclly, though without giving reasons
for his scepticism. His reasons, II he
had given them, would probably have
fallen under two heads:
4 y = = u, + =, -
material and the opportunity for the
production of such goods on the scale
assumed by the alarmists.
q. There is a good deal of evil
dence that Germany is herself short
of a great many of the articles which
| the alarmists believe her to be eager
TO dispose of to the lowest bidder.
Germany's Lack of Labor.
Nothing is more obvious than that
Germany's Industrial opportunities
have long been gravely hampered by
| the lack of labor. 1t is notorious that
| scarcity of labor was one of the
| causes which ruined the harvest of
/ 1915; and it is Incredible that a
1 cause which was operative in the
Efields produced no effect in the fac
! tories. Moreover, Germany has call
| ed to the colors a larger proportion
| of her population than has any Of her
enemies except France; and she has
also diverted labor and plant from
the industries Of peace to those CT
war to a. greater extent than any OF
her enemies, and from an earlier
| date Months before we established
our Ministry Of Munitions, miscel-
laneous workshops of every conceiva-
BILE kind were being adapted to NUM-
ton work in Germany. We knew all
about that at Ruhleben. because some
of the prisoners there were the owners
i of some of the workshops taken over
These are not conditions which car
have lent themselves very conviently
to the accumulation Of stocks fol
dumping purposes. The German
papers, indeed, hEve latterly beer
full of complaints that 1t is imp ssi
Bile to buy agricultural machinery
one of the things which German!
might be expected to dump-becaust
the factories which ordinarily turn i
out have been turning out machine
guns instead. ~
In the second place it is clear tina
there has long been a scarcity IL
Germany, not only Of raw material
but also of what they call auxiliary
material % From the Saxon textile
manufacturers, in particular, bitter
cry has long been going UP. Not only
have they been unable to obtain cot
ton and wool, but such cotton and
i wool as they happened to possess
have been taken from them. They
have had either to make cloth fol
uniforms or-to close their factories