, 1922-07-18
Workers Urge Tariff

'OiNIS Ng
DEMAND of the laboring people in this country
~ for an early enactment of an American protec-
tive tariff is becoming i~nsistent. No amount of mis-.
leading Propaganda by international bankers and
importers and no amount of ~fallacious arguments
by Democratic speakers can fool the American Ia
boring people who are being thrown out of employ
ment by reason of Importation of cheaply made
products from other countries. Evidence of this
Is furnished in n letter which. representatives of Ia
Dor in several industries have sent to members of
the-senate finance committee. This letter asks tat
Gin the interests of and for the benefit of thous-
ands Of American workers. the enactment Of an
American protective tariff DO fastened Each in
dustry sets forth how it is being affected by the
continuation of present conditions'under the Under
wood tariff.
Metropolitan papers which are editoriaIly fight
ing the enactment of an American protective tariff
are ut the same Limo carrying large advertisements
from department stores which are importers, offer
ing straw hats imported from Italy, France and
England. In the letter above referred to represen-
tatives of laborers normally employed in the hat
making industry in this country state shat they
are in enforced idleness because of the Tremendous
imports of hats from other countries" NThese
hats" say the laborers in their letter, "come into
our country all made with the exception of the
bands sewed on and are admitted az unfinished
material Under the system of appraising them ON
the basis of foreign valuation the-duty' theyspay is
very small"
This exposes a system whereby the importers of
these straw hats are taking advantage of a techni-
cality to keep within the law and yet deprive the
government of n vast amount Of revenue The
spectacle OF importers Tl0RluR III H udLb LII
ished with the exception of the bands sewed ON and
yet having them admitted at the cheap rate which
applies to unfinished material" is not a pleasant
one to contemplate from the standpoint of integrity
in business methods. When in addition to this eva
sion of the custom laws there is added the fact that
their tremendous importations are driving Ameri-
can 1aborers into idleness, there is less patience
upon the part of American people to listen to the
arguments put up by such importers against the
enactment of a protective tariff.
The same dodge is worked in connection with
ofher imDorts. as for examDIe. lithOpraph art cal
endars. These calendars are printed in foreign
countries, according to a statement made by the
photographers in the letter referred to, at wages
which are only a fraction of the wages paid Amer
lean photographers. They are imported into this
country complete with exception of the addition of
small calendar pads. The importers take advant-
age of this techincality to bring them in as ~un-
finished material" thereby really evading our tar
if laws while at the same time they are flooding
the country with products OF cheaply paid labor
and driving well paid American labor into idle
ness.
Representatives of machinists contributed their
testimony in the letter as follows:
"Sono of the large American manufacturers
owning factories in Europe are importing machine
parts made in their own plants, especially in Ger
many where the wage is about one-tenth what the
workers receive in this country. The machine parts
are admitted free of any duty at the present time.
This should be stopped as it deprives thousands of
skilled Americans of employment. Legislation
should he passed at ance placing a tax equivalent
to the difference in the cost of production here and
in foreign countries"
The workers IN the glass industry contribute to
the testimony with the following statement:
"More than IS per cent workers idle as Germany,
Belgium and other European countries are selling
stained glass for one-quarter of what it costs to
make it in this country. German workers receive
IA cents per hour compared with our wages, which
average about so cents an hour"
One of the best paid industries in this. country,
because it requires skilled worknen, is that of
print cutters skilled workmen who cut designs
upon blocks from which wall paper as well as fig
ured textiles are printed. In the letter referred to
representatives of the print cutters industry say
All members are now unemployed due to tho fact
that blocks used In printing wall papers nre now
imported from Germany at less than half the cost
of American manufacture. Wages paid in Ger
many are about $500 per week American money!
while our workers receive $50 a week when they are
employed The present tariff'1aw has deprived all
of our members of employment and the trade of
print cutting In this country will be completely
~iSed out rmless-our tariff law'is changed
Furniture workers contribute to the letter with
the statement that owing to tho tremendous amount
of imports of furniture they are being driven into
idleness. Hero again there is upon the part of the
importers an evasion of the custom laws by taking
advantage of a technicality. They import tho fur
niture knocked down" and thereby have it CLASH
fled as unfinished material.
Working men engaged in the woven wire indus