The Washington times., 1935-01-18
TARIFF At TACK
SEEN AS BLOW
!. TO INDUSTRY
official Says Rowing Envoy
Is Working in Behalf
Of Rivals Abroad
BY JOHN T. LAMBERT
(Reprinted from the Washington
Herald)

Herald)
CHARGES that Norman H. Davis,
roaming ambassador Of the Roose-
Velt Administration, has been en-
gagged in "a diplomatic scheme"
that might bring financial ruin
to the $75,000,000 match indus
try in this country have been
made to the White House, it was
learned.
The charges were lodged by
President J. H. Weaver, Of the
Columbia Match Company, Cleve-
land, who is in Washington to
defend the American match in
dustry from the assaults being
made upon it through the tariff
and through the foreign competi-
ton Of low-priced labor.
Weaver charged that Davis
land some NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
banking interests and foreign
match manufacturers" have be-
sought Secretary of State Hull to
slash the match tariff so per
cent in the new reciprocal
treaties now being negotiated
with foreign countries.
Charges Explained
He said they have asked the
State Department to grant for
eign manufacturers a quota of
100000 gross of matches an
nually. This. he said, would be
the equivalent Of 81 per cent OF
the American market.
He charged that Davis is an
official of "a bondholders' commit
tee" of the international Match
Company, which went into bank
ruptcy in the Krueger-Toll debacle,
(which mulcted innocent American
investors of 5000, 100000" He con-
tinued:
II charged to the White House
that Davis, to the best Of my be-
lief, is receiving $4,000 for rep
reSenting these interests, and
that he has been serving to the
detriment Of o respectable and
important American industry at
the same time he was represent
ing President Roosevelt and the
American people aboard.
THEORY ASSAHED
"DaviS and his associates set
up the SpeciOuS theory that the
American-robbed investors in
Krueger-TOll can regain some Of
their losses if the Swedish match
trust is allowed to sell more of its
product in the American market.
"The people who lost In that
fiascO should seek relief in the
American courts Of law against
the international bankers who
prevailed upon them to risk their
money in foreign investment.
"There can be no juStifica-
ton for any attempt to pro-
mote Swedish, Finnish and
japanese manufacture, and
slave wages, at the expense of
a fine American industry in
which $75,OOO,OOO is invested
and which employs $4,000
American men and women di-
rectly and at least $4,000 more
indirectly.
WAGE COMPARED
'"The japanese wage is ore
fourth cents per hour. We pay
our women employees IS cents
an hour, our men so cents per
hour. We are compelled to
meet other costs imposed upon
MS by NRA, high taxes and
excise taxes.
"Under these conditions, it is
not to be wondered that for
eign competitors can underselI
us in the American market by
IS cents per gross. But the
fact is that the American con.
sumner gets no benefit from
slave-wage matches. He pays
q penny a box, just the same.
"If Davis wants to be an
American ambassador, let him
be that. If he wants to be
paid fiscal agent for inter-
national bankers, let him be
that. He should not be both
at the same time, at the ex-
penSe of American industry
and American people"
Match True+ Doid noNI;o