, 1922-02-06
WHY IMPORTERS ARE OPPOSED.

At a recent convention held in Washin1tor u,dsr
.he auspices Of the National Manufacturers' associa-
uons a number Of articles manufactured in Germany
and Austria were exhibited, showing the disparity in
production costs IN the country of their origin and in
tne United States Appended TO each of the exhibits
was a photostat copy Of a sales slip issued by the de-
partment store selling the particular article showing
the price at which it vRs sold to the American con-
sumer.
A pair of scissors purchasable in the German mar
ket for II cents q pair was sold over the counter of
TINS department store at SO. A German knife with
n nail file, purchasable in the German market at IL
cents, was sold 70 the American purchaser over the
eorntsr at $3.50. Two thermos bottles were placed
side by side. The German bottle was billed through
the United States customs house at New York on a
German invoice at II marks, which at the then rate
Of exchange was equal TO 81 cents American money.
The duty on this type of bottle, its chief value being
its metal case, was 20 per cent, lforsign vaiustion)
or IL cents. Adding freight and other expenses, the
laid down cost for the bottle in America was 1872
cents These bottles are sold by a subsidiary COM
pany of the importers, who operate a chain of stores
in New York City, at ss cents eaea. The American
consumer paid n profit on these German bottles of
manufactured by the American Thermos Bottle COM
pany, with factories in Connecticut, New York and
West Virginia, is put out at an average production
cost Of sl.O1 and retails for Si.5o. Under American
valuation, with q duty rate of 60 per cent the landed
cost of the German bottle would have still been below
the American production cost.
A copy of a Budapest circular WINS shown in which
the Hungarian house offered to print 10000 circulars
for the equivalent of $50 American money. The best
price that could be made for similar work by a New
York printing house was s293.50. "wages here are
lower than elsewhere, Is times less than in London,
80 times less than IN New York." declared the Buda-
pest concern.
A glance at the import statistics OF the United
States department of commerce. for the calendar year
1921 indicates that these foreign prices are not mis-
stated. For example. 632,164 dozen pocketknives inn
ported last year were valued at 1872, 772-s1.2 a
dozen, or about 10h cents each; 275, 1913 dozen ra-
zors and parts of, valued at S515,41s-s1.ss a dozen,
OF less than 16 cents each; Sol 1855 dozen pairs of
scissors and shears, valued at s97s ,965-s1.66 a doz-
en-, or less than IA cents a pair. Thermos bottles are
not separately stated; but reference may be made to
the importation of 642, 244 mantles for gas burners,
valued at s2S,s43, or AZ cents each; sol, 1853 gross
of pencils and pencil leads valued at S413,647, or less
than 60 cents a gross; 14,146,167 unlocked hats val
ued at 1858, 100 or less than II cents each, and so
en- down the line wherever quantities and values are
indicated in the official statistics.
The argument of the American manufacturers,
formers, workingmen, and all who so strongly advo-
cate the American valuation plan is that 20 assess du-
ties on such foreign values as these amounts to prac-
tically free trade, and no consumer is getting the bene-
fit of these low prices paid by the importers, who OK
act profits of from 200 to 1000 per cent when they
sell over their counters.