Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-15
TARIFF REPR|SALS
AIMED At JAPAN
Proposed Prohibitive Duties
on Lumber May Bring
War on Silk.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Tariff legislation now pending before
the Japanese Parliament contains the
seeds of some bitter economic strife
between the United States and Japan,
The Toxic government has proposed
heavily increased customs duties on
foreign lumber. If these higher rates
are enacted, the American export lum-
Der trade would be dealt a serious
blow. The United States now sells to
Japan about one billion feet a year.
The projected tariff would, our trade
authorities declare, fatally curtail, If
not entirely wipe out, one of the larg-
est and hitherto most dependable for
eign markets for the products of
American forests.
The annual production of lumber in
the United States is 38 billion board
feet. About "a per cent is consumed
at home. Roundly two and one-hah
billion feet, or 6 per cent of the total,
is exported annually to markets the
world over. Nearly half of the entire
export volume is now taken by Japan.
American lumber is generally found
superior to foreign-groWn timber. The
American domestic demand for the
lumber products now exported is so
fully supplied that foreign markets
for the enormous surplus have become
Indispensable
Defensive Plans Evolved.
Threatened with the loss of their
valuable Japanese trade, our lumber
manufacturers have lost no time in
evolving defensive plans. They be-
ieVe the most effective weapon at their
command is the intensive development
of the 'rayon" industry, i.e., the manu-
facture of the new fiber which has
been made the basis of a vast and
successful trade in the United States
within the past few years. Silk is the
Overwhelmingly biggest item in
Japan's rich export trade with this
country. 1t is the sheet-anchor of
Japanese economic well-being. Amer
lean purchases of Nippon's raw silk
are in a sense essential to her ma
tional prosperity.
"Rayon" is derived from the fabri-
cation of fibrous wood cellulose
products. 1t is already absorbing
enormous quantities of American for
est material and is bound to be ex-
plotted in the future on a constantly
increasing scale.
Importati0ns Held Not Vital.
Last year when Secretary Hoover
and the Department of Commerce sub
mltted to the House committee on In
terstate and foreign commerce their
arresting report on Foreign Combina-
lions to Control Prices of Raw Ma
terials," the following observations
regarding ''rayon" We're made:
Since we have a silk industry in
TINS country involving lin 1919 in
vested capital between six and seven
hundred millions dollars and produc-
ing In 1928 silk goods valued at some
thing like $500, 600, 900, from an eco.
nomic point of view imported silk Is
indispensable to the maintenance of
this industry. But in another wav if
is not. We could get along without a
pound of silk If it was absolutely rec
essary, except possibly for one or two
war purposes, such as it's use in para
chutes and gunpowder bags. IIayon
might replace every pound Of silk, if
IL were absolutely necessary. The silk
mills in this country could be ADAPTED
to the use of this fiber. Some of them
are using it now"
The recently established Textile In
stitute of America is likely to be
found taking the lead before long in
ways and means for effecting a silk
declaration of independence" for the
United States.
Rates Are Prohlbitiye.
If the Japanese new tariff becomes
law, its rates on American lumber will
be practically prohibitive. AS contero.
plated there will be tariffs Of 81 per
thousand feet for large squares: $3.50
per thousand feet for small SQUARES.
$3.50 per thousand feet for boards.
and 81 per thousand feet for logs. Not
only would these duties shut out
American imports, but they would au-
tomatically result in Cutting the
American home market with an 1lnex.
portable surplus.
Walker d. Hines, director general
of military railroads at home and in
Europe during the World War. is the
chief executive of the Textile Insti-
tute at New York. He is under
stood TO sympathize with the view
that WIDER utilization of American
forest products for artificial silk nro-
duction will serve a double purpose.
1t would do away with the necessity
OF exporting lumber, while simulta-
neously removing the need of i'm
porting silk. Already bills have been
submitted to Congress providing
large funds for the Department of
Agriculture, to be expended in in
vestigating new fields of usefulness
for American forestry material.
Among these fields the "rayon" in
dustry is ranked as supreme. If an
1nsurmountable Japanese tariff wall
is raised against our lumber, the time
may not be far off when the United
States VIII erect an equally effective.
though different kind Of, barrier
against Japan's silk.
Copyright. 1927