Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-02-07
why IMPORTERS WANT NO TARIFF.

the special tariff convention recently held in Wash
IA ington, under the auspices OF the National Manu-
facurers Association number OF articles manufactured
in Germany and Austria exhibited showing the fear
disparity production OF those articles in their
countries Of origin and in the United States Appended
TO each OF the exhibits pholoslat copy OF sales
slip issued by The department store selling the particular
article showing the price at which it sold to the
American consumer
pair Of scissors purchasable in The German market
for A cents pair sold the counter Of this de-
pariment store at $500 A German knife with ornamental
handle pair OF scissors folding in and nail nle pur
chasable in the German market at ~ cents sold to
the American purchaser the counter at $3.50. TWO
hermos bottles placed side by side. The German
bottle billed through the United states Customs House
at New York on German invoice at II marks, which at
the then rate OF exchange equal 20 sh cents Amer
money. The duty this type Of bottle its chief
value being its metal 20 cent foreign valu-
atom IT, cents Adding freight and other expenses
the laid down for the bottle in America 1875 cents.
These bottles sold by subsidiary company OF the
importers, who operate chain OF stores in New YORK
city at 9s cents each. The American consumer paid
profit these German bottles Of about 800 per cent
comparative American bottle manufactured by the Amer-
can Thermos Bottle Company, with factories in Connec-
cut New York and West Virginia is put out at an aver
age production Of $40 and reails for 81 so Under
American valuation with duty rate Of 60 per cent the
landed cost Of the German bottle would have still been
below the American production cost
copy Of Budapest circular was shown in which the
Hungarian house offered to print 10000 for the
equivalent OF S36 American money The best price that
could be made for similar by New York printing
house s2935O Wages here are lower than else
where fifteen times less than in London thirty times less
than in New York. declared the Budapest
glance at the import statistics OF the United States
department OF Commerce for the calendar year 1921 nd
oates that these foreign prices are missated For
example 326i dozen pocket knives imported last year
valued at s79272-Si25 Dozen about 1914 cents
each 275i93 dozen and parts or valued at S55s
Siss dozen less than &c cents each; 59i7s5 dozen
pairs OF scissors and shears valued at s97S965-G6
Dozen less than 81 cents pair Thermos bottles
separately stated but reference may be made TO the
Importation Of 6i22H nantes for burners valued at
S2Ss3 or AZ each; 69i763 gross of pencils and
pencil leads valued at sii36i7 or less than GO cents
gross iiii667 unbocked hats valued at 81 1858 100
than "a cents each and so down the line wherever
quantities and values indicated in the official satis
tics,
The argument Of the American manufacturers, farmers
worklngmen and all who strongly advocate the Amer
can valuation plan is that duties such for
en these amounts TO practically free trade and
no consumer getting the benefit OF these low prices
paid by the importers who exact profits OF from 200 to
1900 per cent when they sell over their counters
In fact the above information supplies in the minds OF
Delawareans conclusive proof relative to the selfish mo-
tyes Of those importers who oppose protective tariff