The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-02-01
President james Dus Address Before Woys and Means
Committee In Opposition To the Renewed Of Trade Treaties

oei'S SSICIS, ciIllildCcu WIFI JtlS
American Federation of Labor, repre-
sents more than 80 per cent Of the
workers in our country dependent on
the continued operation of the Ameri-
can Pottery industry for their inde-
pendent livelihood.
Our organization has had expert
ence with the present Reciprocal
Trade Treaty policy and we have no
hesitation in stating to this Commit
tee and to the elected representatives
of the American people that we are
opposed to the continuation of the au-
thority which Congress has granted
to some State Department bureaucrats
to transfer the JOB opportunities of
our American workers to workers in
foreign countries.
Our organization has had collective
bargaining agreements with the vast
majority of the employers in the
American Pottery industry for the
past fifty years. AS to whether or
not our workers secure in wages their
share of the profits of this American
industry was vividly shown in the
findings of the United States Tariff
Commission in 1886.
On Page 7S of the report of the
Tariff Commission they show that the
employers had an average for the five
year period studied of some IL per
cent left from the wholesale price of
their product, without allowing for
depreciation or obsolescence, after
paying for materials, wages, trans
portation and selling costs.
Naturally, under such conditions
our workers cannot hope to secure
better wages or better standard of
living until The Congress of the
United States removes the unfair
competition in the American market
which the products of our labor are
forced to meet.
In behalf of the membership of our
organization l wish to most en-
phatically oppose the extension of the
authority now granted to few ap-
pointed officials of our government to
enter into what they term Reciprocal
Trade Treaties or Agreements with
foreign nations.
1t is our view and belief that con-
tracts entered into with foreign ma
tions, no matter what name is applied
to them, are Treaties within the mean
ing Of the Constitution and should be
ratified by the members of the United
States Senate.
Furthermore, when such Trade
Treaties are ratified by the Senate we
will know that our presentation is
given fair consideration and we will
know who are responsible if our JOB
opportunities are transferred to work
ers in foreign countries. At the pres
the final decision in the reductions
which are contained in every Trade
Treaty which our country has entered
into with the entire world, other than
Germany
Prior to 1887 the proponents Of this
bureaucratic form of government did
not even apprise the American people
of the items or articles on which they
intended to reduce tariff rates. Since
that time we have been privileged to
know what items were under consider
alton for reductions, in order that a
privileged few mass production indus
tries might find additional outlets for
what they term their surplus products.
1t is also true that these appointed
and very powerful officials of our gov
ernment, unmindful apparently of the
fact that there was Congress until
they started negotiating with Argen-
tina and Chill, did condescend to listen
to or receive presentations from in
tcrested parties.
of these public hearings and after
listening in on others, we feel that
such public hearings have proven to
be nothing short of farcical, so say
the least.
Criticism quite often appears in the
Press about the log-rolling in the en-
actment Of tariff making and other
legislation However, we believe if
this Committee will study the work
of the Tariff Commission and if they
could see behind the scenes in the
making of these Reciprocal Trade
Treaties they might find that log-roll-
ing happens in places other than in
the Congress of the United States.
We believe it far better for the
elected representatives of the Ameri
can people to enact legislation in the
open where the American people, if
they are interested, can see what is
going on than to permit the continu
alton Of the present un-American sys-
TEN where privileged few are per-
mitted to virtually make the laws of
our country behind closed doors. Fur
thermore, the elected representatives
of the people have to secure the ap-
proval of their constituents if they
desire to continue in office while the
present bureaucratic group, now MAX
ing our tariff laws, do not have to ac-
count to anyone, other than to the
Secretary of State.
We have appeared at these public
hearings and presented facts based
on governmental findings. We have
found that the Committee which
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