Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-20

lust as important as battleships and army
equipment,
As everyone knows. Germany practically had
= monopoly in the manufacture Of dyes before
the war. This industry had been developed to
such an extent that it was mainly due to the
high explosives and other destructive materials
manufactured at the dye plants that the Ger
man army was able to be at the gates of Paris
within a few weeks after the beginning Of hos
%tilities.
1t required all the scientific skill that the ex-
perts Of America and the other allied coun-
tries possessed to meet the effort'of the German
chemists. 1t was not realized how absolute
ly at the mercy of Germany the world was,
AS far as dyes were concerned, until the war
broke out. Neither was it realized what an i'm
portant part the dye industry played In warfare.
Realizing the great importance of this indus
try to the very life of the nation practically
every great power excepting the United States
has placed an embargo on German dyes so as to
encourage the building up of the industry at
home. Never again are there nations going TO
be caught In such a predicament.
With all these countries barring German dyes,
the thousands of tons of the dyes that are stored
are waiting to be dumped on American mar
kets running the industries that have star
ted here and once more putting America at the
mercy of Germany in this most important par
ticular. These dyes are stored not only In Ger
manv but right here in America ready to be re-
leased the moment congress lifts the bars.
The only thing standing between the Ameri-
can markets and this great flow of German dyes
is the emergency tariff which has continued the
power of the war board to allow imports Oh
German dyes only under the licensing system
The fight is now on to include in the new tarih
bill an embargo for a given number OF years TO
enable the American dye manufacturers to get
n real start in the business. A tariff Will be no
because the Germans, in order to
secure the market, would be willing to lose all
Kinds of money at the outset if by so doing they
could permanently kill off American competition
and have the market entirely to themselves
later on when they would make up their loss.
The importance of the dye industry to Ameri-
ca is brought out when it is realized that by
encouraging it we are not only taking care of
an important part Of national DEFENSE put VIC
are encouraging legitimate industry at the same
We hear a great deal about disarmament
these DAYS and 1t is to be hoped that the nations
riII he able to come to some agreement ALONG
that line. In that event the dye industries VIII
to make dyes and nothing else. 1t VIII
be of the utmost commercial value to the nation.
I,ut if disarmament fails and nations continue
to threaten one another, these dye industries
could instantly be converted into great indus
tries manufacturing war materials of the most
deadly variety should hostilities break out again.
Perth Amboy has an infant dye industry that
has been idle for many months, 1t would DC
able to give employment to a large number OF
men once the company is assured that 1t VIII
not have to compete with the cheap German
DIVES that are ready to be dumped on the Amerl-
can market. 1t is all we'll enough to say that
Germany cannot be expected to pay her indem-
nitv unless the nations of the world take her
goods. But with anything so vital as the manu-
cture of dyes there should be no compromise
The safety of the nation as we'll as the devei
opment of a great industry, now In its infancy IN
America. demands a strict embargo on all dye
sturs for some time to come. Congress ought
not to hesitate in making this strict provision