Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
u. S. WOMEN ARM
TO FIGHT TARIFF
Feminine Leaders Plan War
on oot-HawIey Bill Rate
Increases.

The advance agent of great army
Of women which is organizing with the
express purpose of descending upon
Congress to protest the Hawley-Smoot
tariff bill has arrived in Washington in
the person of DR.. Gertrude NJ. Duncan,
formerly OF the New York Bureau OF
Economics Research.
Or. Duncan is secretary of the or
ganizing committee Of the Women s
Non Partisan Fair Tariff Committee. a
council of womens organizations, which
first had It's inception in New York
City about a month ago.
we are like Minerva" remarked
Or. Duncan at the Dodge Hotel, where
she is staying. who sprang fun grown
from the head of Jove.'
Tells of Discussion.
about a month ago several women
were Iunching informally in the Wom-
ems City Club of New York. A dis
cuSsion of the tariff ensued. 1t was
unanimously agreed that II the Hawley-
Smoot bill became law in its present
form the real sufferers would be
the women and housewives of the Ma
ton. number of women trained in
research work figured out very &C
curately that If that bill is passed it
will cost the average middle-claSS Wom-
an, in either city or country, from $500
to $500 a year more to live"
with these facts before us in detail, "
continued DR. Duncan, I'VE decided to
organize committee to work to arouse
the housewives OF the country with a
call to arms that will make them
realize what the tariff bill means to
them and Just what 1t will cost them II
1t passes in its present form"
Since that luncheon many women
prominent in the life of the Nation
have expressed their approval of this
movement and have agreed to lend
their personal support to the move
ment. Among them are Mrs. william
H Good, vice president of the Brook
lyn Society of Arts and Sciences, also
trustee, Brooklyn Museum: Mrs. Julian
Heath, president of the National House.
wives League; Mrs. j. Borden Harri-
man of New York and Washington;
Miss Ida Tarbell, biographer and writer;
Dean Virginia GilderSleeve of Barnard
College, Prof Elizabeth Collier of
Hunter College. Mrs. Anna w. Hoch-
fielder, president of the American AL
lance of Civil Service Women, and
many others.
Cites Buying Power.
"After all" said Dr. Duncan, "the
women constitute the largest percentage
of buyers In the country. 1t IL the
women who take their husbands SAL
aries and go forth in search of bargains.
It is the women who get the heada ches
in trying to find these bargains, and I
want to say that if the tariff Is raised
on certain articles scheduled for tariff
increase the women are going to have
worse headaches than ever.
Il.
Of gloves for which you are now paving
50 you will have to pay about $266?
And do you know that on every pair of
shoes you buy you will pay anywhere
from rs cents to 81 SO more? And
why should this be-" continued DR..
Duncan, sin an industry which is as
prosperous and fiourishing as the shoe
Industry The same thing applies to
rsyon prodlcts. Why should We women
he asked to pay a heavy increase, rang
Ing from IS to los per cent, on all rayon
prn6ucts?"
Dr. Duncan pointed out that the
American housewife will have to pay
2 cents more on every pound of sugar
that she uses If the proposed sugar
schedule Is enacted: that the price +
cutlery win 60 up; that aluminium will
be more expensive under the proposed
tariff increase.
Headquarters Are Opened.
More than 200 women have signed
up as members of the new organization
and headquarters have been opened at
the Hotel Shelton, New York, where
the secretary has been deluged already
with flood Of letters asking for infor-
nation.
DR.. DUNCAN, since her arrival in
Washington, has approached many
members of the Senate on the subject
of the tariff bill. A report will be
made before a meeting of the women's
non-partisan fair tariff committee
which will be held shortly after DR.
Duncan's return TO New York. 1t also
is expected that permanent officers for
the organization will be elected at
body being merely a temporary COM
nittee. Measures for educational prop
uganda to interest as many women as
b possible will be discussed and formu-
lated within the near future.
DR.. Duncan stated that Mrs. Julian
Heath, president of the Housewives
League and we'll known, calls for q
merger of housewives to protect the
economic foundations of the American
home"
Seventeen women's organizations are
represented in the womens non-parti-
san fair tariff committee, said DR.. Dun
can, and these organizations represent
at least 100000 women. With such
nucleus. 1t is expected that a very
powerful organization will result, potent
enough to exert real influence at the
time that the Hawley-Smoot tariff
schedule is being considered by con.
ference committee from the two govern
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