New-York tribune., 1921-05-17
Problem of Regaining Mar
kets Abroad One of Most
Important Before National
Manufacturers'C Convention

A desire to frame a program for
checking the decline in exports, re-
garded as necessary for continuance
of this country's economic develop
ment, yesterday pervaded the hrst
days session Of the twenty-sixth an
nual convention of the National Asso-
citation of Manufacturers at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
An unusual aspect Of the convention,
which will continue to-day and to-
morrow. is the presence of diploma
tic and commercial representatives Of
forty countries, who will later address
the convention on commercial condi-
tions in their own lands, but whose
| principal part In the proceedings will
be TO answer individual questions put
to them by manufacturers interested
| In foreign trade. For this purpose
tables have been assigned to the COM
mercial representatives Of the foreign
countries, each designated with sign
so that the questioner may find the
representative of any country in which
he is Interested without delay, The
| interest that foreign trade holds for
| tho American manufacturer was shown
yesterday by the large number of
manufacturers who sought out the for
clSo Auu QuSSIluneu
them closely, almost before the con-
vention was fully under way.
During the convention Belgium,
Brazil. Chile, France, Italy, Peru and
Spain will be represented by their am
| bassadors. The ministers OF the fol-
lowing countries and peoples will
| be present! Bulgaria, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Cuba, Czecho-Slovakia,
the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Finland, Guatemala, Haytis Mica
ragua, Norway, Paris, Poland, Por-
tugal, Rumania, the Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes, Switzerland, Sweden and
Venezuela. Panama and the Neither
lands will be represented by their
charges d'affaires in this coun-
try, and Great Britain and Norway by
their commercial counselors.
The consuls general Of most of the
above named countries and Argep-
tina, Denmark, Paraguay, Salvador
and Uruguay also will be in atten-
dance, as well as the Belgian and
Chinese consuls and the commissi ion
| of the Commonwealth Of Australia
The United States Department OF
State and the Department. of Com
merce also are represented.
Favor Sales Tax
The opening session was given over
largely to the reports OF standing COM
mittees. The committee on taxation
reaffirmed its Endorsement Of the gen.
eral sales tax, the recommendation for
the abolition of the excess profits tax
| and the surtaxes on the higher
brackets Of the income tax. The COM
mittee also declared that "any discus
sion of the tax question at this time
must of necessity touch on the prob
lem of the national debt, and as re-
CARDS this phase Of the situation your
committee adjudges that the wiser
course contemplates the refunding of
government obligations, including the
various issues of Liberty bonds and
the outstanding floating debt, with the
ultimate view of having all such obli-
cations mature serially in substantial
| ly equal instalments over set period
| Gas fifty years)."
The administration OF immi grafton,
according to the report of the asso-
| ciations committee on taxation, should
be lodged in Federal board or COM
mission, composed of the secretaries
of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor.
The committee disapproved OF any ma
tional policy Of immigration prohibi-
tion, but approved certain restrictions
to be imposed, chiefly at the ports of
embarkation.
Organized labor came in for several
Bevere jots in the reports Of the asso-
ciatior's committees on open shop and
industrial betterment, health and safe
ty. The latter committee scored the
present leaders Of the labor movemen
and asserted that their policies are OBJ
structing orderly dehation and read
| justment-
Some High Prices
'tThe three things which are to-day
the nearest to war peak prices" said
| the committees report, "are transpor-
tation, housing, rents and labor, and
| both Of the first are pyramided on labor
and cannot be successfully reduced ex-
cept by the cooperation Of labor No
cooperation from the leaders of present
Ilabor organizations can be hoped for
'The leaders of labor cannot, and ap-
parently do not care to hide their de-
termination to rule the industry of this
country and aspire to govern it pollti-
cally, as we'll The business existence
of the members Of this association is
involved in defeating their aspirations,
which are against the public interest,
and it must therefore OF necessity op-
pose them. A defensive battle Is a los
| Ing battle; therefore the association
should boldly expose to the public the
attempts of q minority to dominate
| business and govern the state in its
own selfsh interests"
The committee on patents favored
the new bill introduced in the House
| by Florian Lampert, new chairman of
the House Committee on Patents, but
opposed any amendment giving the
! Federal Trade Commission power over
patents, such as the amendment to the
Nolan bill, which failed to pass the
last Congress.
Aid for Merchant Marine
Some sort of government aid to the
American merchant marine is favored
by the majority of the associations 8
membership according to the report of
the merchant marine committee. I'm
til the worlds financial situation Is
changed, however, in the opinion OF the
committee, 1t will be practically i'm
possible to apply to the merchant ma
rine any advanced lines Of improve
ment.
Jules s. Bache, of J. S. Bache & Co.,
at the session last night made plea
to the manufacturers to support the
sales tax movement, and William Nc
! Clellan, president-elect of the Amerl-
can Institute of Electrical Engine ers,
discussed the Importance of public
utilities to the general industrial world
Frederick A. Wallis, United States Com
missioner Of immigration for the Port
of New York, urged as q solution to
the immigration problem, "scientific;
selection, intelligent distribution and
broad assimilation of the immigrants.
There is abundance of room IN this