, 1922-06-10
Profits of Importers

IDb 6hholDtN1, IN his address before the
United States Chamber of Commerce, referred
to those importing interests which are bringing for.
eign-made goods into the United States Mt a ride
ulously low figure and selling them to the Ameri.
can consumer at prices which reap the importing
interests thousands of per cent profit. This prac.
tice was branded by the president as Commerce
Without Conscience" These are the interests, which
are using their influence both within and without
the United States senate to prevent the enact.
ment of a protective tariff.
They pretend their opposition. is based upon their
desire TO save the consumer. Their real attitude
toward the American consumer can be accurately
ascertarned by a reference to the records. They are
buying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of
goods abroad. What they pay for them is evidenced
by the invoices at the customs houses. What they
sell them for to the American consumer is \ mai.
ter which can be ascertained at the counter os
the large department stores
According to the records which are in evidences.
a certain style of pocket knives made abroad are
pelng InportsS into this country at 225 cents apiece
and being sold by the stores which imported tbem
LOT 20, clear profit to the importing stores of
2,170 per cent.
Another style of pocket knife which Contains
three blades and a file is being imported into this
country for 90 cents and being sold by the i'm.
porting stores for 50, a profit of 5,455 per cent!
Another style of pocket knife which contains
one nlade, one file and one small pair of scissors
is being imported into this country for 63.5 cents
and sold at retail by the importing storesfor $3.50.
a profit of 1,250 per cent.
Japanese cups and saucers. are being ;mported
INTO this country for 37.5 cents a dozen and are
being sold at retail by the importing stores for
| " uVAon, Sisar profit OF l,U5o per cent
Electric hat irons are imported for 10 cents
and sold by the importing concern to the consumers
Tor S6-T5, q clear profit of 3,452 per cent.
A clock imported for S1.66 is being sold at retail
by the importing interests at $40, a clear profit of
1900 per cent.
This list could be continued until it enumerated
hundreds upon hundreds of articles which are he.
ing brought into the country and sold to the ron.
sumers at figures which enable the importing in.
terests to reap profits of from 1000 per cent to
5,400 per cent.
From this it is perfectly apparent that the i'm.
porting interests opposed to the enactment of a
protective tariff are opposed to it because it would
stop their robbing the American consumer and
making inordinate profits. Moreover. under the
present conditions which they would have contin.
ued these importing interests are destroying Ameri-
can industry as well as robbing the American con-
sumner. As President Harding stated, ~One-cannot
be astonished that there is complaint from both
American producer and consumer. You cannot af.
lord to destroy American industry to facilitate an
importing trade like that" These importing in.
fiuences have no motive other than greed. They
nave no concern for the prosperity of their coun.
try; they have no concern for the interests of the
American consumer. They are out to destroy the
American manufacturer because it profits them to
DO so. They have no concern for the American Ia.
boring man who depends upon American industry
Tor his employment. They would shut down Ameri.
can factories and make of this country n nation of
hucksters and peddlers in order to fill their
pockets.
The enactment of a protective tariff would not
raise the retail price of a single article. What it
would do would be to raise the price of imported
goods, to such a point that these large mercantile
interests would be unable to buy goods abroad
ers in this country. This would give business to
the American manufacturer and employment to the
American laboring man; but it would not change
the retail price one cent.