The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-02-03
Brotherhood
Continued From Page OHe)

years to place our tariff adjusting
power on sound basis is now to
be revoked. This, we think, would
be a backward step.
"We are not asking for tariff
that would act as an embargo.
We think we are entitled to duty
rates that will permit our own fac
tories to sell in our own market at
prices, in competition with imports,
that will make it possible for our
employers to maintain fair wages
and decent working conditions
while they make a reasonable pro-
fit on operations.
"Of course, the tariff cannot of
itself guarantee this. What it can
do is to offer assurance that inn
ports will no prevent it. We ask
you whether this is an unreason-
able request. There is such thing
as undermining our industry and
its labor standards by permitting
imports to come in and undersell
us. This is what counts. Ii is the
price at which imported pottery
can be sold that is crucial. We ask
only for a competitive tariff. This
will not exclude imports. 1t will
only mean, and this is important,
that the imported goods cannot be
offered at prices that our manu-
facturers cannot meet without
cutting wages and imposing un-
satisfactory working conditions.
"It is one thing for imports to
take 25R of our market at fair
prices-prices that are on abou'
the same level as our own-and
something quite different when
they take this portion Of the mar
ket at prices that are ruinous to
our producers. Even if our foreign
competitors could not take over
25fs of the market, because they
did not have the productive ca
pacity, they could still demoralize
our industry completely through
the low prices at which they might
lay down their goods in this coun-
try.
Everyone knows that the low
prices of Japanese, German, ltal-
ian and Czechoslovakian pottery is
based on the greater efficiency of
their workers, but upon the lower
wages prevailing in those coun-
tries. There can be no question that
our potteries are as efficient as
any others in the world. We hap
pen to have a highera level of
wages and living standard.
"We strongly urge that in ex-
tending the Trade Agreements law
for another two years you consider
what we have said. We are not
simply making idle talk. We have
been through the experience of
which we speak. We are very fam
mar WITH IilG hltu Vi lOItlpil COlll-
petition that we are talking about.
"We want an agency that has
access to the real facts of competi-
tion to get these facts, to digest
them and to guide the hands of
the negotiators of the State De
partment. If that were done we
would have some feeling of con-
fdence that the Trade Agreements
Program will not wreck our indus
try.
Gentlemen, the legislation that
is before you has implications that
are far-reaching and we ask that
you do not take the position that
since the Trade Agreements Act
has been extended on five previous
occasions it should be done again |
as a matter of course, without |
very carfully what has
been said. We are now, for the first
time before the last war, facing a
set of conditions that were not
upon Us on the previous occasions.
We hope and ask that you pause
and examine closely the merits of
our position. If you do we think .
you will support it."