Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-06-20
PROTEST CONTINUES
Continued from Page y

Continued from Page ~
wage in agrarian pursuits; the higher
costs of transportation in the United
States, and especially in the interior,
and some other items that bear upon
the subject of tariff revision.
There is no rule more firmly and
definitely acknowledged that tn e
American market should insure to
the benefit of the American farmer.
That is his right. And yet such has
not been the case. Last year we i'm
ported more than one billion dollars
worth of agricultural commodities.
that either could be produced within
the United States and could not be so
produced because of lack of protec-
tion, or displaced commodities that
could be used, if adequate protection
were afforded.
Asks 4Oc on RutabagaS.
For instance, only one-third of the
American market was available to the
farmer who raises rutabagas. Canada
shipped in approximately 5000 car
loads of rutabagas into this country,
and virtually took away from the
farmers of this country their market
for that amount. The Canadian farm
er pays no taxes in the United States;
he in no measure helps to build up
our industries; he contributes nothing,
except the tariff duty, to the main
tenance of this government, and he
pays the duty only because it is more
profitable for him to sell in our mar
ket than in his own. / have today
submitted statement to the Senate
Subcommittee on this subject in a
demand for forty cents duty on ruta-
bagas.
TapiOca Causing Distress.
"Tapioca is another item that is
giving the potato growers great dis
tress. TapiOca, cassava and sage enter
duty free. In other words. it is on
the free list. These starches are used
instead of and displace potato and
corn starch in the textile industry. in
the wood-glue industry, and in the
paper industry. The duty on potato
starch is now proposed at 21a cents
per pound, being increased from Ia
cents per pound. These starches being
interchangeable in use, the duty of
212 cents per pound on potato starch
is of no benefit to the American po-
tato grower so long as tapioca, sage,
and casSava are on the free list And
right here is where you find a glaring
example of the greed and inconsistent
cy of industry. The textile and wood
industries have both received sub
Stantial protection for years through
the tariff. and are increasingly bene-
fitted by the proposed bill, and yet
they strenuously oppose any duty on
tapioca, although the increased cost
on a yard of cloth with duty of
A - cents per pound on tapiOca would
increase the cost on cotton cloth by
one three-thousandths of one cent per
yard, and that increase would un-
doubtedly be passed on the consumer
to the amount of three-fold or more
'Tapioca is produced in Java,
Straits Settlements and Dutch Guiana,
with native labor paid for at the av-
erage of Is cents per day. The cost
of transportation from Java, to New
York is about SS.15 per long ton (224O
pounds), while the cost of transport
ing the same amount from Mime
apOliS to Boston of potato starch is
S1S.25. Tapioca sells for 80 cents
per pound in New York while the
cost of producing pound of starch
at Cambridge is S0.O336 and allowing
only 20 cents per hundred for pota-
toes.
Leather and Shoe Tariff Pinches.
"The benefit to the farmer by a
tariff on hides is neglible The hide
usually goes with the animal at so
much per pound live weight. The duty
on leather and shoes in the proposed
bill is both compensatory with the
duty on hides, and protective as well.
making the cost of leather and shoes
to the farmer greatly in excess of any
benefit he can possibly obtain on the
duty on hides.
And so on ad infinitum cases can
be recited indicating that the increas-
ed duties on farm commodities are
more than offset by the increases on
commodities of which the farmer is a
heavy purchaser
Voted Against Party Bill.
81 wanted to vote for a tariff bill
that recognized the needs of the farm
ers for added protection on his or
their commodities, and as Republic
an | felt it my duty to vote with my
party, but knowing, as | do, the in
Justice under which agriculture has
suffered and endured for lack of prop
er legislation and laboring under
handicaps not incident to other in
dustries, | just felt | could not sup
port the Hawley bill
1t has been suggested | should
have voted for the bill, and later
10 ErrI,