Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-22
SUGGESTS IMPORT
DUTIES ON COPPER
Frank Armstrong Speaks for
One of Few U. S. Indus
tries Not Protected.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.

BY JOHN r. SINCLAIR.
Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, November %. THE
copper industry is the only one of the
big business units of the United States
that has not asked for duty on raw
or fine copper in the present tariff con-
troversy. Today there is no duty on
copper coming into the United States.
The most profitable copper mines In
the world-those that produce at the
lowest cost-are outside of the United
States. The greater portion of the cop
per imported into the United States
now comes from Chile and Peru. where
very low production costs are possible
high grade Gre and low cost OF labor.
Copper is the only metal OF any import
ance the United States does not pro-
tect by an import duty.
1 asked Frank Armstrong OF New
York, leading copper industriallst 1or
IS years, the reason.
Production Costs.
"The large copper mines in South
America are owned almost entirely by
American interests he said. These
mines produce copper much cheaper
than mines in the United States. Take
Chile Copper, owned by American in
terests. and the Nevada Consolidated
Copper. a representative United States
producer, with mines in Nevada, Arr
IONA and New Mexico.
"Chile cost production per pound IN
1928 was 5048 cents. Nevada's Tor the
same wear was 9.197 cents. So you can
see Chile copper can be laid down III
New York about 4 cents cheaper than
American copper.
"Then why not a duty? Simply be-
cause the copper mines of South Amer
lea are owned by American interests,
which, while they do some work In
their own American mines, are IN
creasing all the time the total imports
from their foreign mines.
IF American interests did not own
these foreign mines. a duty would be
imposed Immediately to protect labor
in American mines.
"There is another problem involved
The British groups are now busy open
ing up vast mines in the Belgian Kongo
in South Africa. They produce copper
at as cheap a rate as the Chile mines.
They are sending into the United States
today hundreds of millions OF pounds.
II do not understand why American
labor should not be protected in Amer
lean copper mines If it is protected in
iron mines. Answer that for me-"
Alexander Legge is president Of one
of Americas largest corporations, the
International Harvester Co. For 40
years he has been assisting in the build
ing and constructing of this company,
which deals exclusively with farmers.
When President Hoover named him
chairman of the Farm Board many
people thought it was just another big
business" appointment; that he was
there to carry out the industrial rather
than the agricultural point of view.
But Mr.. Legge doesn't work that way.
His reputation in the West is Tor
candor, straight-thinking. plain, I'M
affected speech.
So the agricultural West was not
surprised when he made this striking
statement about political and business
conditions:
why is there a radical bloc? Why |
are there ProgreSsives? In each instance |
they represent distress at home; they |
are trying to find expression for distress |
in some part of this great Nation. |
Remove the distress and you will not
have any trouble with radical blocs in
the Government of this country. II
YOU do not remove this distress or some |
one does not find a way to do 1t you
will find it much worse in the future |
than you have ever seen 1t in the past. !
The American farmer is never going |
to become a peasant or ,sert., Don't
complain because he has a farm bloc.
Don't criticize him because he tries to
obtain through the ballot that which |
q few centuries ago people obtained
with the bullet"
The industrial East would do well to
ponder these words.
League and Taxation.
The League of Nations has taken up
the task of devising a better system OF
taxation on foreign motor cars tenn
porarily away from home. This Is OF
particular interest to hundreds of tour
ing Americans who take cars to Europe.
The road traffic committee Of the
League has made three suggestions:
/. No taxes should be paid on cars
during at least the first two months OF
their stay in a foreign country.
2. The system for the collection OF
taxes should be simplifed to the great
est possible extent, with daily taxes col
lected at the point of departure.
8. No traffic tax should be required
from a motorlst requesting the CUSTOM
house of a country TO examine his car
without penetrating farther into the
country in question.
If these suggestions were carried out
in the right spirit, a much more liberal
practice than that now in force in va
rious countries would result. The an
noyance and inconvenience which have
attended the arrival and departure OF
foreign cars in different countries have
been a source of real grievance in recent
years.
The League of Nations is to be COM
mended for attempting to iron out these
difficulties.
copyright, 1929. by North American News
paper Alliance1