Milford chronicle., 1921-10-07
GOOD ROADS ARE HELPED
by ASPHALT TURN DOWN
Dyer, of Missouri, Says It's Defeat in
FOrdney Tariff Will Keep
Down Prices.

WASHINGTON reasons
for refusal to put duty upon asphalt
in the new FOrdney tariff are stated
by Representative Dyer, of Missouri,
who says:
Prom 1914 to 1918 the asphalt
produced in this country amounted to
5,513,252 tons, while the total amount
imported during those years was only
722,170 tons. So that, gentlemen, fig
uring $1.50 to So as a duty in this bill
upon that amount, even if that amount
should continue to come in, you see
that the Treasury would receive prac-
tically no revenue if the duty should
be put upon asphalt; and the result
is, Mr. Chairman, that it would make
the prices for State roads and city
streets, for which over a billion dol
lars is now available, cost a greater
amount of money. (Applause)
Second, the imported native as
phalts are not sold in competition
with the manufactured product pro-
duced in this country, except as to
kind and quality. At no time have
they ever competed in price.
Third, it would in no way be pro-
lection to American labor, as three
times as much America labor is ex-
pended in refining the imported ma
tive asphalt as is used in the manu-
facture of artificial asphalt from pc
troleum.
Fourth, the manufactured home
product requires no protection, as is
evidenced by the fact that since as
phaltum was placed upon the free
list during the years 1914 to 1918, in
elusive, the production in the United
States amounted to 5,513,252 tons,
while the amount imported was 1922
40 tons.
Fifth, as there is no competition as
to price between the imported ma
tive asphalts and the manufactured
product, the imposition of a tariff
would tend to increase the price of
both the manufactured and the i'm
ported product 1t would also tend to
decrease competition among the man
ufacturers of the home product.
"The general use of asphalt for
hard-surfacing of streets and roads is
well established in this country. At
this time hundreds of millions of dol
lars are being expended in building
hard-surfaced roads, making new
streets, and so forth, and the merit of
this paving product is well recog-
nized.
1.-THE State of Missouri at the last
general election voted bond issue of
6O,0OO,0OO for road building outside
of cities and towns of the State. If
a tariff is put upon asphalt, it at once
nf
rial in road building, because the pro-
fit now permitted is too small to stand
an additional burden, and the result
woold be either an added cost to the
taxpayer or a reduction in the use of
this valuable paving material.
"Since the United States as a whole
expends from $50O,O00,000 to $1,000,- |
100000 a year on roads and their
it would be the height
of folly to effectually bar by an i'm
port tariff asphaltum for use in the
building and maintenance of roads.
Assuming, for the sake of argu-
ment, that there was as much as 2OO,- |
900 tons of lake asphalt anticipated
to come in during the calendar year,
and if the import duty were $1.5O per
ton. the revenue would be 100000 |
per annum. Of course, the importa- J
tions might dwindle to trifing fig
IRE under such tariff. But if it were
and if, as a result of the
tariff, it was practically barred from
awards of competitive contracts, then
4 considerable portion of the $780,
200, 900 highway program would be
so far as durability is con-
,erned"