The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-07-13
Job Opportunities Depend
Upon Levying Of Adequate
Tdriff Duties On Imports


this convention that your organization
has a true friend in Austin Wood
The declaration on Foreign Trade
pledged those elected as Republicans
to enact tariff legislation which will
adequately protect the job opportun-
met with instantaneous opposition on
the part of those who favor low and
inadequate tariff protection. Selling
upon and misrepresenting that part OF
the declaration that the United States
would cooperate with other nations tC
eliminate trade barriers, those, who
seemingly are more interested i'm the
prosperity of nations other than ouI
own, claimed that this part of the
declaration called for lower tariff
rates.
Apparently Candidate Dewey has
been misled as there is real differ
ence between the bilateral trade
treaties which our government entered
into with other governments in former
years and the Hull so-called Recipro
cal Trade Treaties.
There is very little reciprocity in the
Hull Trade Treaties. They are simply
Il method by Indirect action in lower
ing tariff rates which could not be Sc
cured by direct action. 1t is under
stood that some 60ao of our tariff
rates have been reduced from 30%o tc
500. In return for these concessions
American exports have been barred
from entry or Disseminated against in
many countries when comparable goods
could be secured elsewhere.
Under bilateral trade treaties we
grant certain definite concessions tC
the products of the country we enter
into Il trade treaty with in return fol-
certain definite concessions made to us
Under the allegedly Hull Reciprocal
Trade Treaties we lower our tariff
rates to all countries on specified
products and in return receive doubt
full concessions on our exports from
only one country.
The Hull Trade Treaties which the
United States entered into with the
United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands and the Colonial Empires
of these countries, as well as other
nations, to the knowledge of the State
Department, We're nullified by the ac-
tions of all of these governments in
1910 when they entered into formal
agreement to discriminate against
American exports.
The position of the American Pot
terry worker, and, workers in other
American industries, the products of
which compete in American markets
with competitive products of workers
in foreign countries, is q simple one.
Either the Congress will enact legis-
lation levying customs duties ON com
petitive imports sufficient to equalize
the difference in costs of production or
your job opportunities will be trans
ferred to workers in foreign nations.
Such statement is substantially back
ed by the findings of the United States
Tariff Commission when they reported
that competitive imports of Jap made
Chinaware were landed in American
markets at total costs, all tariff duties
paid, which were less than American
costs of production.
During the period of excessive de-
probation of the yen, while yen prices
of Pottery were still very low, the
landed costs, duty paid, of Japanese
articles in the United States had been
much below the domestic cost of pro-
duction and this had caused much com
plaint in the domestic industry"
Further, the Tariff Commission re-
ported that such Japanese imports
We're limited to supplying one-third of
the American market only because the
Jap exporters feared that the United
States Government might take action
which would protect your job oppor-
tunities.
'This Federation Federation of
Japan Pottery Exporters Associations
has the power to control the volume of
and fix minimum prices for all Pottery
exported to any part of the world"
Reference is often made to the need
for removing trade barriers. Those
who make this claim seemingly have
in mind but one trade barrier, and
that is tariff protection.
First, it is well TO bear i'm mind that
every major nation imposes customs
duties on competitive imports. Second,
it is well to know that the only trade
barrier which our government imposes
on imports are our wholly inadequate
tariff rates. That such rates are in
adequate was demonstrated by the
findings of the Tariff Commission in
its study of and its report on the Pot
terry industry.
While the United States offers free
market to foreign products on payment
of low and inadequate tariff duties, al
most every other nation not only
leyies tariff duties on imports, com
petitive or otherwise, but, in addition,
other nations, including our Allies, pro-
hibit the entry of American made
goods when such goods are obtainable
elsewhere.
This subject of trade barriers was
well illustrated in recent address de-