The Washington times., 1935-05-07
QUOTA
FOR JAPANESE
PROPOSED
International News Service

Japan will be asked by the
American Government to accept
the imposition of voluntary
quota on textile imports If Secre-
tary of State Cordell Hull com,
plies with a request made today
by Representative Rogers (RO OF
Massachusetts before the Presi-
dents Cabinet textile committee.
Mrs. Rogers asked Secretary
Hull to approach the japanese
government with the suggestion
that Japan accept voluntary
quota on imports of manufactured
textiles to the United States.
Mrs. Rogers said:
81 feel that Japan might re-
act favOrably to this suggestion,
as they might be anxious to
maintain friendly trade relations
with America"
HITS PROCESSING TAX
However, the real disease
~ which is undermining the health
of the entire textile industry Is
the processing tax.
"ThiS tax must be paid by the
manufacturer when he first pur-
chaSeS his raw cotton, even be-
fore he makes his goods"
Mrs. Rogers presented two pieces
gingham, one, manufactured
in Japan. landed in New York
for II cents yard with all
freight, taxes, and duties paid.
The cloth was made of fine
carded yarn. 81 per cent colored,
with vat dies, the nearest guar
antee against fading.
The second piece, made in
America of coarSer yarn had 50
per cent color from commercial
dye ind according to Mrs. Rogers
was an inferior piece of goods
This cloth. she said. is priced at
IL cents per yard at the mill.
Finer Quality
She observed that the average
housewife would buy the japanese
product because of it's finer quail
ity and because it fades less
quickly. She used this illustra,
tion to impress the committee of
the need for immediate action to
limit foreign importations to pro
tect American industry.
Overtaxation and overlegisla,
ton, and not obsolete equipment,
has ruined the textile industry of
New England, according to Ernest
N. Hood, Salem cotton manufac-
turer. who told the Presidents
committee:
Several factors which are
most adversely affecting cotton
operations in New England are,
In the order of their impor-
tance:
IL CENTS A SHEET
Failure to regulate produc-
tion to demand, wage differen.
tial, processing tax, increased
imports, and loss of exports.
The processing tax has
added ten per cent to the cost
of every sheet we turn out, or
more than nine cents per sheet.
When this is pyramided by dis
tributiOn through the whole
Salers, the retailers, and the
consumers, the tax upon the
public amounts to sixteen cents
per sheet, or a sales tax of
twelve cents on every household
for each bed sheet,
"The cotton farmer has been
helped, but the average mill
StOckhOlder is receiving no divi-
dends on his investment. Work
ing hours are reduced and
therefore pay rolls are low, and
the pay envelope is getting
thinner.
QUOTA ASKED
by applying a general sales
tax the farmer would be
equally assisted and the burden
would be removed from the mill.
/ cannot imagine any one IegiS-
lative act which would work
more to the advantage of the
cotton textile mill, its employees
and the general public than to
remove the processing tax as
now applied.
"The textile industry urges a
study of the question of i'm
ports so that all countries may
be placed on quota, which
shall limit impOrtatiOns to not
more than the annual averages
between 1928-1932."