Evening star., 1934-04-24

some morning and read that the
President had agreed to sweeping re-
ductions in the duties on wheat, or
cotton, or cotton textiles. or lace, or
on shoes, or pig iron, or pottery, or
machine tools, or rayon or leather or
rubber goods.
It has been stated in the debate on
the measure that the power the Presi-
dent asks would not be used to the
disadvantage Of any large or essential
industry. It can only be concluded
that this means the smaller industries
are to be Observation-Disclosures which
In some States represent one-third Of
the total Of all industries, and give
employment to more than a third of
the workers. On the Judgment of one
man these small industries could be
traded out Of existence over night
without being given a chance to pro-
test and without word of warning or
explanation.
May Undo All Good.
One of the primary purposes of the
new deal has been to restore employ
ment. The latest report from the De-
partment of Labor indicates that en-
ployment In manufacturing industries
is still 80 per cent below the average
employment in 1926, toward which
efforts are being made to raise it.
Much Of the increase which has been
reported in recent months has been
due to the spread of the work among
a larger number Of persons, and to the
cooperation of industry in shortening
hours and raising wages. 1t is now
proposed to give the President a power
which, II exercised at all in the man.
ner for which it is asked, would sub
ject these same industries and their
workers to the possibility of disaster
and unemployment-in short, undo all
the good that has been done by the
machinery Of recovery already set in
motion. 1t would place in unseen
hands. almost at the mercy of foreign
bankers and businessmen and diplo-
matte bargainers, the power to control
the jobs of millions of American
workers.
If the power to reduce duties were
exercised, wages would be reduced,
factories would close, and the mo
More Work" ticket might apepar in
any one of millions of pay envelopes.
And all as the result Of the guesswork
of some men or some group with only
an academic knowledge of business
problems and economic laws.
In my State alone-in Pennsylvania
the normal employment of workers
in manufacturing industries is more
| than million. This means that
100000 persons, or half the popu-
lation Of the State, are directly de-
pendent on manufacturing for their
daily bread. These industries have
been built up over a period of many
years. Most of them enjoy some de-
gree of tariff protection. The lace
industry, for example, which employees
several thousand persons, has been in
existence for more than so years, yet
Is singled out by Secretary of Agri-
cultural Wallace, as one of those
| which should be shut down so that we
could buy our lace from Europe. How
will Secretary Wallace explain it to
the workers in that industry, if it
should be shut down as result of
this proposed policy. I wonder if he
has given any thought to the suffer-
ing that would follow the removal of
this or other tariff duties which alone
make it possible for these American
industries to keep going.
Robinson Quoted.
Not always have those who are in
rho roo of tho Goyerrp,ept Of y,raeent