The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-07-07

be either modified or repealed.
When these laws were passed there
were no government relief rolls. There
was, so far as l know, no need for
them.
Today, with the largest number Of
Americans ever unemployed, some IL
or 13 millions, we find our govern
ment officials seeking to add to this
list by reducing our tariff duties in
order that even many of our present
jobs may be transferred to workers
in other countries.
What we find hard to understand
is that our government officials, and
by that | mean Congressmen, Sem
ators and Cabinet officials are advo-
eating reduction in our present made
quate tariff duties, through our en-
try into so-called Reciprocal Trade
Treaties, in order to facilitate the de-
livery into American markets for the
products of the very workers or possi-
BILE immigrants which our laws deny
entrance into our country.
Four years ago when the so-called
Reciprocal Trade Treaties policy was
first proposed we fought it in every
possible way. We found ourselves al
most alone in our opposition.
Our fight was not in vain. AS a
result of our opposition, which was
almost successful, those who negoti-
ated sixteen trade treaties, supplied
with list of articles the organized
workers were concerned with, did not
include such articles among the many
hundreds on Which the tariff rates
were Substantially reduced,
--.ssIr 1891, whtk,s ,ongre.c rad before
it the extension Of the authorization
to enter these so-called Reciprocal
Trade Treaties and through such
action to reduce tariff duties, as much
as 500, we could not show where we,
as organized workers, had been seri-
ously interferred with, although most
every other group filed voluminous
complaints.
l. AS a matter Of principle and realiz-
ing the potential dangers to the con-
Itinued job opportunities of many
thousands of Americas skilled work
ers we opposed this extension of au-
thority.
When the trade treaty with Czecho-
slovakia was proposed it included, for
tariff reductions, pottery as we'll as
other products in which our organized
workers are vitality concerned. After
much effort we succeeded in having
products, in which your organization
is interested, stricken from the list.
Our school-boy theorists in the
State Department negotiated this So
called Trade Treaty with Czechoslo-
vakia and when the result of their ac-
tivities was announcedNit was apparent
to everyone that the job opportunities
Of many thousands of American work
ers had been transferred not alone to
tCzechoslovakia but also to the ex-
cluded workers of Japan and other
countries. American industry also
found that our industries had been
literally sold down the river. 4.
, Illustrative of how our jobs have
been transferred to workers in foreign
, countries by the school-boy theorists
, of our State Department, let me cite
, an industry, thoroughly organized
, with common labor paid a minimum
wage of So cents an hour and AZ
hour week, with skilled workers get
ting $1.25 an hour for 40 hour work
! week. These wages and conditions
I apply, as you know, only when work
ers are employed.
The Tariff Commission made a
: study of this industry and found there
t were certain differences in the Amer
ican and foreign costs of production
, and in order to equalize such differ
ences certain tariff duties were neces-
, sary. Despite these known facts our
g school-boy theorists, virtually, as
t they are in charge of negotiating
J., these so-called Reciprocal Trade
Treaties, were prevailed upon to SET
= tariff rates which are some $3.50 less
e than what the Tariff Commission
r found to be necessary to equalize the
r difference in production costs.
: Bear in mind, also, that our Amer
lean workers, dependent for their live
: lihood on the operation of this highly
!, organized and fairly well paid indus
n try have been unable to find work TO,
y more than 500 ofthe time during the
). past five years. se9 So
:, Some of you gasped at what l just
y said. However, you will be interested
S also to know that none Of these wei
: meaning and pernps we'll Sintentionec
n economists, who sare known to yer!
; few people, evellfilhs the governmental
Y service, were ever elected to public Of
Y t'ce, have never been elnployed III al