Evening star., 1930-12-13
PLEA FOR COPPER
TARIFF REPEATED
Frank Armstrong Reviews
Present Plight of Industry
in Trade Journal.
BY FRANK c. ARMSTRONG.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, December 13.-Ameri-
can copper production has about reach
ed It's limit-certainly 50 under present
competitive conditions. Outside low
cost mines now produce more copper
than the foreign world consumes,
whereas United States consumption ex-
ceeds production. The American de-
mand will grow much faster than the
foreign, and we will become increas-
ingly the major copper market of the
world, at the same time that the foreign
demand. Ultimately this trend means
the suspension of copper mining in the
United States. 1t is hardly necessary
to point out what that would mean.
Disappearance of an industry that Is
major factor in the prosperity OF
many States, unemployment, falling
freight tonnage for the railroads and
other painful economic readjustments
will be entailed. We will have ceded
to foreign rivals a considerable part
Of our industrial and commercial
empire.
Nor is that all. There Is q real danger
that some of these foreign countries
will place export tariffs on copper, and
undoubtedly they will as soon as they
can secure more revenue without re-
stricting their exports.
So far as the American copper mines
are concerned there is only one recourse
and that is protective tariff duty on
imported copper. If we had continued
the protective tariff policy for copper
adopted in 1869 and maintained In some
degree until 1894, we would have
escaped the present distressing situation
Had there been a reasonable protective
tariff on copper our internationally
minded companies would not have been
tempted to export their capital to
Canada and Chile-and now To
Africa. They, like the United States
Steel Co., would have remained all
American. Their mines, smelters and
policy controlling interests would have
been all-American. Their mines and all
their equipment and supplies would
ducers, instead of going to Germany
for their plants. And they would have
avoided the dilemma that is now
inevitable.
That dilemma is this: Shall they
oppose tariff that will put their
American mines into full production,
with complete pay rolls, good wages and
all that they mean to local communi-
ties and the Nation in general; or, shall
they direct their influence to the main
tenance Of that free trade, that means
SO much to their foreign mines. It is
greatly on account of these foreign
mines Of theirs that our American COM
panies have built up top-heavy finari-
cial structure, for which it Is difii-
cult, if not impossible, to provide ade-
quate dividends. If barred from the
American market or even If merely re-
stricted in access to 1t, their outlook
will not be any too bright
On the whole, it is plain that these
internationAlized American companies
would prefer q continuation of free
trade in copper. Yet . copper duty Is
sure to come. There is no reason In the
world why protective tariff Nation
should withhold the shield Of protec-
ton from great industry when i'm
periled by foreign competition. Why
should copper be without protection
when iron and steel, aluminium, man
ganese, zinc, etc. are all protected2 ?