The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-01-27
STRETCHING RUBBER
FOR MORE

somewhat nervous because OF Repre-
sentative Kitchin's public statement
that the ways and means committee
would levy M tax on tea. coffee or
other foodstuffs7 in the revenue meas
ure which is to be bludegoned through
the house. The rubber manufacturers
note that nothing is said relative to
levying the 10 per cent tax on impor-
tations Of crude rubber. suggested by
the Treasury Department. which is
estimated to raise s15.O 900. 900 Of reve-
u annually. and which. if imposed
will be levied upon the users of rub
Der goods. This is based on imports
Of crude and scrap rubber for the
calendar year 1916. which totaled
approximately ~s150.000,000.
In March, 1912. when the ways and
means committee was considering the
proposal to levy a duty rate OF five
cents a pound on crude rubber. Mr..
Frederic c. Hood, president of the
Rubber Club of America, presented
a brief TO the committee which con
tanned so potent an argument against
leyying a duty on this non-competing
raw material that even the Demo-
cratic tarif-wreckers were scared out
Of their design and rubber was per
mitted TO remain on the free list
They did, however, reduce the duty on
rubber manufactures by 90 and 20
per cent, and on yulcanized or harI
rubber by 30 per cent; and during the
first ten months free operation Of
the Wilson-Underwo0d law, from Oc-
tober. 1913, TO July. 1914. before the
outbreak of the European war, i'm
ports of rubber manufactures in
creased nearly As per cent.
Mr.. Hood called attention to the
fact that at that time, of all grades
OF crude rubber, about rs per cent
was devoted to the manufacture of
mechanical goods, such as rubber
hose. packing, ETC., 30 per cent for
tires, 80 per cent for footwear and
clothing, and Is per cent for drug
gists' sundries, surgical goods, etc.
There were then 275 factories in the
country. He estimated that nea -ly
10000 people were employed in The
industry, and that in the neighbor-
hood of $685. 900 was paid out in
salaries and wages.
Impose a tax On the raw material
and you will impose an additional
burden that no other line of manu-
featured goods is bearing, so far as
know" said Mr.. Hood, and bear in
mind that in doing so it is for no ro-
teetive purpose, since crude rubber
is not produced in this country. 1t is
taken bodily out of the pockets of
manufacturers who are already bear
ing in their line a disproportionate
cost of material, who, in their turn,
must naturally shift this increased
burden on the consumer"
Manufacturers In every industry
throughout the country have for the
past two years been discussing the
budding policy of the Democratic
party to exact a duty on raw mate
rails. deny Industrial America any
sort Of protection on manufactured
products. and to depend on increas-
ing corporation taxes, taxes on pro-
fits, etc, to meet extravagances I'M
paralleled in American history. The
business men of the United States are
alive as never before to the import
ance of speedily adopting a protec-
tive tariff which will increase the rev.
enues by 500. 000,00 annually and
put us in a state of commercial pre-
MSNS POoA~UdA NOLlpc-
tition; and they see the ACCESSIBILITY
OF lowering the exemption on incomes
in leyying an income tax. that a larger
proportion of u citizens may share
in the cost of running the govern
ment, and the responsibility for
stewardship of the party in control
VIII hence be greater. The Repub-
lican party should be prepared with
a substitute tariff bill covering these
points. 1t can be modelled on the law
of 1909. it'll certain changes in the
chemical, cotton, wool and farm pro-
ducts schedules. and it should be pre-
scented when the new Democratic
makeshift is introduced.
Columbus (Ohio) Journal:-The net
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