Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-13
Letters to The Stor

the first I'VE months of 1854 as COM
pared to the, corresponding period Of
1858 and their orders were running
some 40 per cent less than last year.
United States jeWeled watch producers
are also behind In sales In what seems
to be general Discrimination on the
part of the public to buy high-priced
new watches.
The so-called defense argument
Of the high tariff lobby Is one to which
they always retreat when the going
gets tough. 1t is perfectly true that the
precision workers in the watch industry
just as those in the machine tool,
electronics and myriad other industries
have made and can make substantial
contribution to the production Of ma
tionaT defense items. However. in the
case Of the strategic items which the
jeweled watch industry is concerned
about, namely, timing devices for fuses.
look at the industry can be instruc-
tive The late Senator Lester Hunt Of
Wyoming made detailed report of his
investigation into the procurement of
defense items In which. speaking OF the
ieWeled watch industry he said: dur
ing the early part Of the war world
War Id when the Ordnance DEPART
ment wanted to get started on the
manufacture Of fuses, the domestic
jeweled watch industry was not in
terested in getting Government work.
However, when the United States Gov
eminent activated controls on mate
rails, the jeweled watch industry very
quickly jumped over"
In addition, Senator Hunt learned
the production facilities of the East
man Kodak Company, engaged in
making mechanical time fuses, were
"far in excess of the combined capacity
Of the domestic jeweled watch COM
panies.
TOO often neglected in the discus
sion Of the defense aspects of the tariff
issue is the fact that our defense rests
on the strength of our overall economy
and that of our allies and that our
economy depends on sales both here
and abroad. If we raise our tariff walls
so high that our friends abroad can't
gain their dollars by selling their prod
uctS here, then we in turn can't sell
them our products and our economy,
and ultimately our defense, will suffer
i.
lend credence to Mr.. Lehmkuhls argu-
mentS without an examination of the
evidence. Al perusal Of a recent speech
by an acknowledged authority on our
national defense, Mr.. Struve Hensel,
Assistant Secretary of Defense for In
ternational Security, would have been
most Illuminating. Mr.. Hensel said:
1T is clearly possible to achieve both
our detectives. mutual trade with our
allies and an overall strong domestic
economy. Our economy is not SO frajl
that it will injure easily. We will not
be able to please all of our allies all of
the time. We will not be able to satisfy
all of our induStrialiSts all of the time
Increased international commerce will
inconvenience - and perhaps hurt =
some of our industries. 1t will stimulate
others. Our aim must be to maintain
overall industrial strength rather thar
the status quo of each existing industry
irrespective of its contribution to oul
military strength. -.
ut is hard to believe that the effects
of freer international trade will be more
revolutionary than the advent of thu
automobile. No national Legislature
rushed, with sales taxes or tariffs, II
the protection of the bicycle or wager
industry. The transition from pro
tected economy to freer economy
particularly when nationally assisted
should be simpler"
Charles r. Taft,
President, Committee for q Ma
tional Trade Policy,