Arizona republican., 1921-12-15

 by Dwight B. Heard in argument in favor of a tariff on the long staple cotton of the southwest was pre- scented to the senate committee on finance when Mir. Heard appeared before the committee on Tuesday in the hearing on the cotton schedule of the permanent tariff bill:
 Hon. Boies Penrose,
 Chairman, Finance Committee,
 United States Senate.
 Washington. D. C.
 Sir:
 As the long staple cotton on which protection is sought is primarily the Ameriean-E Egyptian or Pima cotton, produced in the irrigated valleys of the Southwest, an industry with which I am personally familiar, my remarks will be confined to this class of cotton, the bulk of which exceeds 11s inches in staple length, and comes in direct competition with the well known Sakellaridis. or Sa- kel cotton, produced almost entire ly in the Delta of the Nile. tn Egypt.
 Since 1906, I have been in close personal touch with the group of highly trained, scientific men in the department of agriculture who have so greatly assisted in the develop ment of this new agricultural indus try. For the past six years I have been growing Pima cotton near Phoenix, Arizona, and the facts which I shall present are either mat ters oe my personal knowledge or the result of information obtained reaus in Washington in touch with this industry.
 Last year there were produced in the United States. in the irrigated valleys of the Southwest, ,000 bales of American Egyptian or Pima cotton. The import of Sakel cotton from Alexandria. Egypt. into the United States in the year closing August i, 1920, was approximately 340,000 bales. The average import of this cotton for the four previous years was 120,000 bales.
 It is conservatively estimated that the demand of the American manu- lecturers for this type of cotton which is used principally in manu- featuring cord tire fabrics, aeroplane and balloon cloth, mercerized and fine cotton goods, such as dimities lawns, yoiles. fine shirtings. hand kerchiefs and threads, will average dbOQI ZoVfVVu DdlcS duIlldliy. The cotton producers of the South west are asking for at least suffi- cient protection to equalize the diff ference in labor and transportation costs between the wages paid the fellaheen, or peasant laborer oi Egypt of from 24 to 36 cents a day and the daily wage paid agricul- tural labor in the Southwest of from $2 to s2.50 per day. The transporta- tion cost from Alexandria, Egypt, to New England manufacturing points is $9.90 less per bale than the low est rate from Phoenix, Arizona, ir the center of the American Egyptian district, to the same manufacturing points. The difference in labor cos, is most vital, as approximately 6( per cent of the cost of producing this specialized long staple cotton is for labor.
 In considering the need for pro- lection for this developing American American industry, encouraged by five administrations and assisted by appropriations from every congress since 1904, four factors should be considered.
 First: Is the production within the l United States of long staple cottor of superior quality in sections
 
 sential national industry? Second: Will the failure to protect long staple cotton by reasonable tariff, sufficient to equalize the diff | ference between the cost of thu present labor of Egypt, and thu American agricultural labor. ant 1 the difference in transportation costs destroy the production of American. Egyptian cotton in the United | States?
 Third: Is it not probable that witf l the protection asked for we can. pro duce in the United States within {;
 oughly suited to it's growth. all tn, l long staple cotton of this type need | ed by American manufacturers? l Fourth: If this industry. developed | with the assistance of the depart | ment of agriculture, Is allowed t 1 perish through lack of the reason
 able tariff protection asked for. vii | not our American manufacturers needing this class of cotton, event ually pay such a price for it as for eign nations controlling productio \ of it may dictate?
 \ I shall endeavor to confine my re
 marks directly to these four points
 First is the production of this typ
 of cotton an essential national indus
 try? I shall touch but briefly upo
 the remarkable development of thi
 important new agricultural indus
 try. My brief filed before the way
 and means committee of the hous
 on April 25 and attached hereto a
 exhibit A." covers quite fully tn
 very valuable work carried on b | the government since 1902 in devel | oping the now famous Pima cottor | ~1,s K-1r 1f0 e-tV, ies in Egypt, the establishment C plant breeding gardens in Arizona i 1906, the establishment of thoroug