The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-09
Frederick I askints Letter
NesD Tariff Besets Reprisols
t0Usull ossss1UsnAsso & ~ Ars1s.l

WooAA08 sAsAs ~ ~ WV o.. oe
reprisals against the United States
because Of the protective tariff act
recently passed by congress
which were predicted during ita
tendency. have begun. Great Brit
ain has struck the first blow and
aimed it at the American rubber
industry.
1t will be recalled that during
the months when the tariff act
was pending, British interests pro-
tested against the high rates
which would keep British products
out Of the American market. Dele
cations Of business men from Eng.
land appeared before the Ways
and Means and the Finance com.
mittees asking lower rates. Their
appeals fell ON deaf ears. This
amounted to . declaration Of eco
nomic war. The United States
erected a tariff wall to keep Brit.
ish goods out. Now Great Britain
in retaliation, is striking back al
4 very tender spot in the Ameri'
can industry.
The British have we'll advanced
a plan to make the United States
pay a vastly increased price fol
crude rubber. Not a pound Of rub
Der grows ON American soil. VIZ
must import all the rubber W.
need for the hundreds of thou
sands of automobile tires, for cleo
trical apparatus and for the hun
dred and one othey uses to which
this product is put!
TheA method being employed by
Great Britain is to lay an expor
tax on the export Of rubber from
her possessions which produce thi:
valuable commodity. Such posses
sions include the island of Ceylon
the Straits Settlements and thu
Federated Malay States. These arr
the principal rubber producing
areas of the world. Brazil pro
duces rubber but because of a diff
ference in quality and especial!
because of the manner of condi
stioning for export, the American
rubber industry uses chiefly thu
product from the British rubber
producing regions.
The United States consumes a!
much, crude rubber as all the res
of the world put together, so an!
governmental action by Great Brit
ain tending to increase its price il
a direct blow at the United States
The tax must be paid to the gov
eminent before the crude rubber
can be exported, SO the price o
| rubber laid down in the Unitet
States will be subsequently higher
| 1t is too early to make any defin
lite estimates, but the rubber indus
try admits that the action of Grea
Britain will add millions of dol
lars a year to the American pub
lies bill for tires as well as for tn
numerous other rubber articles o
every day consumption.
The American rubber industr!
is protesting vigorously agalns
the action of Great Britain, bu
there is no reason to believe tina
Great Britain will pay any more
attention to American protests thar
we paid to British protests agains
the tariff. England protested
against an American import tax
now the United States protest!
/ against a British export tax. Botf
protests are doomed to the SAM
reception.
We Must Pay the Price.
The economic result is that Eng
land will sell less goods in our mar
ket and that if we want British
rubber we must pay the price what
ever it is. The proverbial Ameri
can spirit of fair play must say
that's fair enough, but it is hart
to smile when the flivver need
new tires all around and when tn
blowouts come. In such situation
la puncture teaches more about prac
teal politics than textbook.
Great Britain feels REASONABLE.
sure that the United States mus
have rubber no matter what it cost
and she is we'll justified in such al
assumption. Rubber is essential il
SO many manufactures and is S
common an article Of daily use tina
the people can not get along with
out it. Therefore, the price mus
be paid and England will collect
England feels particularly com
Portable about the rubber expor
tax because Of the debt situation
1t is an economic axiom that for
efgn balances can be paid only il
three ways: in gold, in goods an
in service. England is willing t
pay us all the gold she can spar