Evening star., 1922-06-23
TARIFF BILL HELD
PATRON Of TRUSTS
Hitchcock Says Passage to
Usher In New Era of
Monopolies.

trust formation would follow passage
] of the administration tariff bill was
! made today in the Senate by Senator
, Hitchcock. democrat, Nebraska. He
charged that the real purpose of the
measure was to shut out imports in
J many commodities and give q mo-
hopoly to favored manufacturers so
they could increase prices at the ex-
! pense of the American consumer.
y Declaring that the great shrinkaee
in the country's international trade
IN the past two years was largely re-
sponsible for the present widespread d
depression over the country, the Ne
braska senator said a policy of fur
ther restricting that trade was moth
ing less than stupidity"
Senator Hitchcock called attention
that the only country with which
American commerce was improving
was Germany, and argued that the
penang Dill seemed to be direct ed
against trade from that country.
Attack German Trade
Time after time in this discus
.ion,' he said; high tariff schedules
check imports from Germany Time
after time German competition has
becn given as the reason for raising
the tariffs. The settled purpose Of
the authors of this bill seems to have
pech 10 attack German trade and
, make> it Impossible for German i'm
ports TO enter the country
hcn We have asked for proof it
mas not been poss. bic for the bill $
champions TO produce any statistics
at all TO show that imports from
Germany are injurinr American in
dustry under the present law. on the
"thcf hand, Imports from Germany
sine" the war have gained very slow
ly-much more slowly than our ex-
, ports to Germany.
For the ten months ending with
! Aprsi this year our imports from
iermany We're almost exactly the
same as they We're for the ten months
ending with ANrql last year-slightly
I in excess of $11 600, 600 Imports from
Germany at the present time are less
than half what they We're before
the war.
Figures Disprove Claim.
These figures show how false the
! claim is that we are in any danger
= from d great inundatiun Of German
goods at prices with which our man
! ufacturers cannot compete. As a
j matter of fact, it is unfortunate that
Germany has not been able to send
us more of her products. That would
| have made it possible for her to pur-
, chase more OF our products.
'Cmdoubtedly the German govern
/ ment has strained every nerve to
1ncrt aSc her exports to other COun-
/ tries. That is the only way in which
sh" can get gold with which to meet
her enormous obligations. But in
, spite OF her great efforts, with sub
S!dIcs to railroads to get cheap
, freight, with deprecated currency to
make labor cheap and every device
20 hOl! down III" cost Of living, Ger
many has not succeeded in stimulat-
ing her exports more than enough
to make them "ue-third what they
were befor" the war How prepos ter-
Gus. therefore. 10 assert that higher
tariffs are necessary to check i flood
. Of German imports"
Watson Renews Attack
! Senator WATSON Of indiana. repub-
lean. delivered another attack in the
Senate yesterday on importers and
, big department stores, declaring they
We're opposing tn" tariff bill because
. they did not want their profits cut
down. Senator simmons of North
Carolina. ranking democratic mem Der
of the finance committee, replied to
/ him.
Exhibiting q score of foreign made
articles which We're piled on and
around his desk. Senator Watson ex-
planned that they had been purchas ed
, by government agents in New York
at prices rau7irg from 6J per cent to
, 1.Ti2 per cent above the cost landed
in this country as shown by official
, recc rds. He argued that +his eX-
planned why the importers and de-
, parfment stores were behind a propa-
ganda 20 defeat the pending bill.
Senator Simmons in his reply de-
clarcd that as 4 tariff argument. Sem
ator Natsou's speech and that of a
. similar nature made last week by
Senator McCumber. republican. Mort h
Dakota. were ''prepoSte&nu and III
iicuIous." because the cost and SELL
, ting prices Of American made goods