The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-08-02
JAPAN MEANS TO PROTECT
HOME MADE GOODS BY TARIFF
Adopts Tariff Policy to Build up
Manufacturing Industries

SENDS us the following Olt OF news
anent the tariff. Quick to see the
benefit the United States received
from the republican tariff legislation,
the Japanese government proposes to
protect industries that have grown
up in Japan since the war began so
that they will not be killed off by
ruinous comptition from Germany
after the war is over. Our cores
pondent goes on to say:
According to advices from Japan,
the dye manufacturers there are
about to ask the government to es-
tablish a protective tariff tos afe-
guard them against disastrous COM
petition from Germany at the close
of the war. Since the German sup
uly of dyes was cut off, the Japs
have constructed a number of dye
plants, relatively small in output,
and have operated them in the man
ufacture of the simpler dye mater
ials. They have not yet developed
methods of manufacture of the high
er grades of dyes but they hope to
do so if their manufacturers are not
driven out of business by the compe-
tition of chemists who have had the
advantages of years of experiment
tation in Germany.
The situation that confronts the
Japanese dye producers is similar
to that which faces the dye manu-
facturers of the United States. We
have built up a dye industry-not
yet up to the German standard but
in a fair way to equal or surpass
the industry which Germany foster
ed for so many years. Our industry
is partly, but inadequately, protect
ed. With the advantage of superb
ority in the production of some kinds
of dyestuffs, Germany could undoubt-
edly conduct ruinous competition if
she undertook it Systematically. ia
pan has one advantage over the
United States in an industrial COM
petition of that kind-her lower
labor cost. The United States has
an advantage over Japan in the
greater inventive genius of her
people. But neither country is in a
position to compete with the more
highly developed industry of Ger
many unless adequate protective
tariff laws be enacted.
And the same is true of some
other lines of industry. For years
we have been buying pocket knives
table cutlery, tools, razors, and d
multitude of other articles from
Germany, because the manufacture
of those articles was more highly de-
veloped there and we were content
to buy there rather than build up
our own manufacture to the German
standard or establish protective
traiff high enough to shut out the
German product. Whatever the rea-
son, the records show that we
bought the goods showing the "Made
in Germany" trade mark.
There are a few people who be-
lieve that when this war is over the
hatred of Germany will be so great
that we shall not buy German made
goods. Quite likely we shall not buy
much, if anything, bearing the
German brand. But German indus
try is shrewd enough to put its
products on the market without a
brand, if necessary, and to ship it to
US through other countries, thus
eoncealing the original source. The
only safe thing for the United
States to do is to establish an ade-
quate import duty, regardless of the
origin of the imported article, and
encourage American producers to
build up enterprises so extensive
that our home competition will re-
suit in production at the lowest cost
consistent with an American scale
of wages.
There are some indications that
the democratic party contemplates
an increase in import duties in the
pending revenue bill-partly to in
crease revenues and partly to off
set the tariff as a campaign issue.
1t is not likely, however, that the
Aremcian people will be deceived by
any tariff legislation based upon ex-
pediency rather than principle. A
true protective tariff must be
framed by its friends rather than
by its enemies. The party which
has so consistently favored one sec
ton of the country in its tariff legis-
lation cannot be trusted to frame
tariff law for he development and
maintenance of all lines of industry
in all parts of the United States.
Any attempt of the democratic party
to enact a protective tariff law is an
admission that it has been wrong.
and that the advocates of protection