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

American industry producing articles
which competed. in the American
market with comparable products of
foreign countries, or, so far as know,
ever operated an industry the prod
ucts Of which competed in the Ameri-
can market with comparable products
of foreign countries.
Yet, these highly placed school-boy
theorists, with their college degree of
Economist, possess, regret to say, al
most the power to deprive you and
many thousands of skilled American
workers of their job opportunities.
Apparently, as 1 note from the looks
/ of some of you, you are asking what
is. the purpose they have in mind.
They believe, from what they say and
Judging from what they have done,
that we should promote our mass
production industries where manual
labor costs are but incidental, and,
where but comparative few workers
nowadays find work. Our high labor
cost industries, of which the Pottery
is one Of many and which industries
provide jobs for many thousands of
American workers, therefore, are en-
dangered and there is no assurance
possible today that your job and your
job, as well as the jobs of your fel-
low workers, may not, through our en-
| try into one of these Trade Treaties,
be transferred to the Pottery workers
of Japan paid their 80 cents or 60
cents day.
| When the proposed trade treaty
with Great Britain was announced
your officials presented, in association
with other interested labor organiza-
tions, very complete brief pointing
out the dangers to continued job op-
portunities of many thousands of
Americas organized workers if pres
ent low tariff rates were reduced.
President James Duffy very ably
represented your organization at the
public hearings which hearings are
now looked upon by many as farcical.
President Duffy made very strong
presentation. His statements were
definite His facts, taken from gov
ernmental reports could not be con-
troverted. Those conducting these
hearings, realizing the strength of
President Dutfy's presentation at
tempted to harass him. Of course
they did not know Jim Duffy. He not
only held his own, but, at the con-
clusion of his remarks, was not asked
any questions by those conducting
this alleged hearing, he startled
these school-boy theorists by publicly
asking them some very definite and
pertinent questions himself.
Incidentally, economists depend, sup
posedly, for their facts on figures
There is an old saying that figures dc
not lie. Yet, no one denies that liars
do make figures.
hold here a printed report just
issued by the International Labor Of
flee, of the League of Nations. l note
on three separate pages that wages
paid to Japanese Pottery workers are
shown to be different on each page
On page Ids we find these workers
are paid the equivalent of 60 cents a
day, on page 146 we find these work
ers are paid the equivalent of "a cents
a day, on page LAT we find these work
ers are paid the equivalent of Sd cents
a day for nine hours work. These
figures are furnished from govern
mental sources, taking in the entire
Japanese Pottery industry and sup
posedly are dependable. Which figure
is right l leave to your guess. Yours
in this case, is no better or worse
than my own.
AS the labor cost of producing pot.
terry, according to the findings of the
Tariff Commission, represented more
than 50 per cent of the wholesale
price these official citations of what
japanese labor costs are, illustrate to
any thinking person the competitive
handicap the members of your organ.
ization are even now confronted with
Realizing the dangers confronting
the job opportunities of all American
workers, dependent on the production
of articles which compare in the
American market with products OF
foreign countries. Last May we call
ed upon the Executive Council of the
American Federation of Labor to con-
denim this reciprocal Trade Policy anc
to protest our entry into such trade
treaties the results of which are that
job opportunities of our workers are
transferred to foreign countries. The
Executive Council complied with ou,
request.
In addition, we have filed a protest
!, with the Treasury Department pro
testing against the continued entry Of
Iananaea and o.nnds from cert ir