The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-05-11
EXHIBIT SHOWS
COMPETITION |
BY JAPAN
Senate Office Building to
House Display Showing
Price Differences

Senators will see with their own
eyes next week evidence Of the
competition faced by American in
dustry from low cost Japanese
labor.
An exhibit to open Monday in
the Senate office Building Caucus
Room will display Japanese prod
ucts which are exact duplicates Of
products manufactured in this
country, and will list prices to
show how the Nipponese goods
can be sold far below the prices
charged for American goods be-
cause of the cheap labor used In
producing them.
Sponsoring the exhibit are Sen
ator w, Warren Barbour (R) Of
Delaware, and Senator David I.
Walsh CD of Massachusetts,, who
maintain that the cutthroat COM
petition Offered. by Japanese goods
which extends even to piracy Of
trade marks and package design
is a serious menace to United
States industry.
Package Copied
One Of the most startling Of the
exhibits will be two boxes Of tooth
picks-one manufactured in the
United States and the other in
Japan. The American product is
boxed in a paper carton, colored
yellow and brown, with trees and
other scenery on the cover.
The Japanese manufacturer has
copied the box exactly. as to color
ing, lettering, shape and size. In
lieu of the trademark Of the
American company the Nippon
manufacturer have substituted a
trademark Of their own, diamond
shaped.
In one corner of the box. in
small type, are the words, Made
in Japan"
The Japanese toothpicks, landed
in this country with all tax and
duty paid, are sold to distributors
for $2.10 per gross. American
manufacturer must charge 1884
per gross to keep their wheels
turning.
Hundreds Of other articles will
be shown, comparing the Japa'
nese article with that made in this
country, and with corresponding
discrepancies in price shown.
Pottery Shown
A piece of pottery, shaped like
a swan, will be among the exhibits.
It was manufactured in Japan
and retails in this country for 20
cents. American manufacturers
have to pay SIS cents to produce
the same article, and it must be
sold for $1.20.
japanese matches long have
been known to offer sharp compe'
tition to American match manu-
facturers. Figures prepared for
the exhibit show that it costs Is
cents to produce a gross of match
filled boxes in Japan. They pay
20 cents duty to enter this country
and lis cents excise tax. The
jobber's profit is SIS cents, and
they are sold to wholesalers at So
cents a groSS-to be retailed at
one cent each, or $1.44 per gross.
It costs IS cents to manufacture
gross of match-filed boxes in
America, exhibit visitors will learn.
They are subject to an excise tax
of lis cents and the manufac'
turer gets 1875 cents per gross for
overhead, freight and profit. The
cost to the wholesaler is 80 cents
per gross, 38 cents more than the
Japanese matches. The retail
price is the same, Of course.
Medical Goods
Another example of the decep-
ton practiced by the Orientals
is to be found in hypodermic
syringes. Samples sent to Amer
lean distributors have Made in
Japan" ground into the glass
of the Syringes, but when the
product is delivered for sale, a
trade name has been substituted
in this conspicuous place, indi.
eating that the syringe might be
a product of some American con-
Germ.
Price comparisons of these Jap.
aneSe SyringeS with the Amer
lean product will be shown. The
japanese product is sold to the
importer for SLIT a dozen. and
retails for $2.7O. American
syringes range from IS to $3.50
per dozen, manufacturers price.
Some Of the other articles
which will make up the exhibit
include eyeglaSs lenses, wool
berets, baby bonnets, woolenS for
clothing, thermoS bottles, tennis
shoes, toys, rubber goods and
many others. All price differ.
entails will be shown on placards.
The American Tariff League
has aided in the collection of the
articles for this exhibit, which
will be in charge of George Dye,
secretary to Senator Barbour.