Evening star., 1930-06-22
LAMONT DEFENDS
TARIFF SCHEDULES
Commerce Secretary ChaI-
Ienges Assertions U. S.
Trade viii Be Injured.

BY the Associated Press.
A formal statement in defense of the
| new tariff bill challenging assertions
that it would be a detriment to Amer
ican business, was issued by Secretary
Lamont yesterday, representing re-
search findings of the Commerce De-
| partment.
The declaration constituted the third
made on the subject this week, Secre-
| tary Mellon and Senator Watson, Re-
/ publican leader in the Senate, having
previously presented their views, but
Secretary Lamont introduced primarily
study Of the bearings of the new
measure of international trade
He took up specifically the protests of
foreign nations, said many of them in
substance had been considered and
acted upon by Congress. He told of the
remarkable rise in exports of Amer
lean manufacturers during the last
decade, In spite of similar threats to
the countrys trade issued during con-
sideration of the 1922 tariff act.
Cites Opportunities for Others.
Lament stressed also the opporti-
mites given foreign producers selling to
the Uninted States to seek changes
through the Tariff Commission in
| schedules adopted privilege which
Americans in like position get from no
| other nation, and he concluded that
under the new measure "the people of
the United States will continue to buy
from and sell to the nations of the
world vast quantities of products.
II have been asked what effect the
| new tariff will have on our foreign
trade" Lamont said.
Some light on this question may be
gained from the experience after the
| passage of the tariff act of 1922; that
act raised the level of duties, as COM
pared with the Underwood act, much
more than has been done In the present
revision. As many protests were re-
ceiyed from foreign countries as have
been received in the present year; and
there were just as many predictions OF
disaster to our foreign commerce.
What actually happened: In the
seven years under the 1922 tariff act,
| our total imports increased Al per
cent Imports of manufactured goods
| from Europe rose from $340, ,000, 900 in
1922 to $581, ,0o0, 900 In 1929. or by IS
per cent. These gains we're not due to
increased prices Of commodities.
Import Increase General.
"Our imports from Germany and
| Czechoslovakia more than doubled;
from Italy they increased 80 per cent;
from Belgium, 371z per cent; from
iSpain and Switzerland about rs per
cent each, and from France, 20 per
cent. The United Kingdom is the only
important European country from
| txxy1af afrI xnro in
in 1922, and this falling of was not
due to changes In our rates of duty.
During the same period, cur ex-
ports Of finished manufactured goods.
the class most affected by the tariff
of foreign counties, increased prac-
tically 100 per cent. Every year fol-
lowing the enactment of the 1922 act
showed marked gain until the present
year.
1T is obvious, Of course, that the
reductions In imports and exports
which began in the latter part OF
last year are not to be attributed either
to the discussion of our tariff or Its
enactment. There has been recess
sion in business and a reduction in
prices throughout the world. Other
countries, as well as ours. have seen
their trade in both directions decline
during recent months.
Protests Not Unusual
much has been made Of the pro-
tests presented by various foreign ma
tionS during the course of the tariff
discussion. There is nothing new in
such protests. Every country, includ-
ing our own, shows concern when
other countries propose increasing their
tariffs.
THE United States is not alone
among nations In making changes in
its tariff levels. Forty or fifty other
countries have made general upward
revisions since 1925, including nearly
all Of those countries which lave pro-
tested against the proposals to increase
our rates.
THE protests which have been made
by foreign governments to us, in con-
nection with the 1880 tariff. may seen
to indicate a wide sense of grievance
However, they include protests. made
over the course of more than a yeal
during the various stages of the tariff
bill. In a considerable number of cases
the proposed increases to which theN
related were not finally enacted; as fol
example in the case Of laces, bananas
jute and shingles. In other instances
the rates objected to were materially
moderated during the progress of th'
bill so that as finally passed they art
not much different from what they wer'
before, as in the case of plate glass
! rayon, Swiss cheese, soya-bean oil
Oriental carpets, perfumery and phar
maceutics. The rates on silk good.
caused considerable anxiety at times
but the final average increase in dut!
is less than 5 per cent ad valorem.
Taking these points into considera
ton. we find that those protests which
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