The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1947-01-30

| QUARRY In tne ne2Vy INDUSTRIES.
She probably will not be per-
mitted to reconstruct in the
heavy industries; they have
got to retain certain types OF
manufacturing, what we call
soft goods, textiles, and things
Of that kind;
Il think that everybody
agrees it would not be possible
for a nation like Germany to
maintain herself unless she
had industries of that kind
"These predictions and expecta
tions are, to our minds, as accurate
! as Secretary Clayton's predictions
and expectations that trade trea
ties entered into are reciprocal anc
that the United States secured
from other countries concessions
comparable to those which were
granted to other countries.
"In answer to the prediction OF
Secretary Clayton we find the
Supreme Allied Command in Tokyo
reporting, January, 1916,
"'The japanese Pottery in
dustry (earthenware and china
combined) was expected to be
able to export about the same
amount of ware in 1916 as in
1889 and, because it was little
damaged by the war, the in
dustry was expected to be
back in FULL PRODUCTION
within six or IL months
"The Trade Agreement Digests,
Page 100, commenting on the
japanese Pottery industry, states;
Japan's chief competitive advan-
tage lay in her Low WAGE
RATES. In 1889 the average direct
daily wage for ten hour day was
about so cents, to which should be
added perhaps 10 cents for social
benefits. RECENT MILITARY
REPORTS REVEAL THAT THE
JAPANESE POTTERY INDUS
TRY SURVIVED WITH ONLY
SLIGHTLY WAR DAMAGES, and
that in the future PRODUCTION
FOR EXPORT CAN BE RESUM-
ED AT PRE-WAR RATES. Japa-
nese postwar competition in ware
(earthenware and chinaware) may
be determined largely by Allied
policy toward japanese industries.
Shell We Feed and Clothe Japs
And Germans Or Will We Trans
fer Our Jobs To Them?
"Here, again, we have another
problem which can or should be
settled by Congressional and not
bureaucratic action.
"We concede that it is good mill
tary strategy to prevent, for a
number of years, either or both
Japan and Germany's producing
articles or goods which can be
easily converted to munitions of
war. We also agree that it is
essential that the peoples of these
countries be permitted to produce
non-military articles which they
can export to other countries, in
cluding the United States, in order
to secure necessary food and other
goods.
"At the present time our costs
of feeding and helping these peo-
Piles is heavy drain on American
taxpayers.
"Yet, are we, the American Pot
terry workers to be sacrificed and
our jobs transferred to the work
ers of those countries?
"We realize that our products
are comparable to the soft goods
which Secretary Clayton stated he
expected that the peoples of these
countries would be permitted to
produce.
"We are not asking that COM
petitive goods of other countries,
not even those of Japan or of Ger
many, be barred from entering in
to American markets.
"We do ask, and, we insist that
our job opportunities be retained
in this country and these jobs be
manned by American Pottery
workers.
"ln order to secure such secur-
ity it is highly essential that tariff
rates prevail which will equalize
the difference in the costs of pro-
duction between the costs in the
United States, whether such costs
be those Of Britain or of Japan.
"We maintain that as Americans
we are entitled to such tariff rates
as will equalize the differences in
costs of production.
"There are some labor officials,
who, after surveying the potential
industrial conditions which prevail
in some of the European and
Asiatic countries, have come to the
conclusion that this drive to lower
our tariff rates to points where
competitive products can be de-
livered into American markets at
less than our costs of production
is well thought out plan of GER
tain elements of Big Business who
are anxious to break down the
wage and working conditions
which now prevail in our country.