Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-11-15
PROTECTIVE TAR
FF Is SOUND
Both Imports and Exports Increase.
Republican Party Makes Good
On Revenues.

Washington, November 12.-Spec-
ial correspondence From day to day
IN every way the prophets of the
Democratic Party are being more
and more discredited. When the Re-
publican tariff law was enacted the
cry was almost unanimous on the
Democratic side in both the Senate
and the House of Representatives,
that the imposition of the Republican
import duties would destroy our for
eign trade and make it impossible for
our European debtors to pay us what
they owe. It was asserted that Eu-
rope must pay in goods since she can
not pay in money, and that the Re-
publican duties were so high that Eu-
rope would be unable to send US
goods and therefore, we could not col
lect the debt. More over they as
serted that since the Republican du-
ties dould be prohibitive, American
manufacturers would be able to make
their prices exorbitant without fear
Of competition from Europe.
Statistics, which have just been
completed for the nine months ended
with September 80 1923, show, that
in that nine months period we i'm
ported goods to the value of $1,000
100000, as compared with $685.
100000 for the same period in 1922.
This was an increase of S72G,000,000
or about 33 per cent.
Those figures relate to imports
from the entire world. If we con-
fine the comparison to Europe alone,
made the most dismal predictions,
concerning which the Democrats
the showing is much the same. In
the nine months of 1923 we import
ed from Europe, goods to the value of
1855, 900 900 as compared with inn
ports amounting to 1888 ,000, 900 in
the corresponding nine months of 49,
%, or an increase of 1881 100000 or
an increase of about 80 per cent.
In either the per cent of increase
or the teal value of imports is there
anything on which could be based the
criticism that the Republican tariff is
prohibitory. But it is in the charact-
er of our imports and exports that
the best showing is made in favor of
the Republican tariff. Leaving aside
the amounts in dollars and dealing in
percentages, the report for the the
nine months ending with September
shows that we imported Of crude
materials for use in manufacturing
SO per cent four total imports,
SO per cent Of our total imports
larger proportion of imports thanany
other class. On the export side the
figures show that manufactures
ready for consumption constituted 80
per cent of re total, or a larger pro-
portion than any other one class.
In other words, under the Republi-
can tariff, we are importing more
raw matrials and exporting more
manufactured commodities. This ne
cessarily means that we are provid-
10 more employment for American
labor in making goods ready for con-
sumption. That is largely the ex
PLANTATION for the fact that American
mills are running practically at full
capacity and the wages of American
porkmen are keeping up at very
high standard. The principles upon
which the Republican tariff law was
based encourage the manufacture of
goods in America. At the same time
our tariff law permits the importa-
ton of raw materials, which Ameri-
can labor can use in production of
the finished product.
The import statistics show that we
have increased our imports from each
of the grand divisions. This is parti-
cularly gratifying in the case OF
South America with which we are
mutually profitable trade. Our i'm
ports from South America during the
nine months of 1928 amounted to
1857 ,0O0, 900 as compared with $241,-
100000 in 1922, or an increase of =
bout As per cent. These j IMPORTS
were largely Of raw materials or Of
commodities such as coffee, tropical
fruits, spices, ect, which we do not
produce in the United States.