Date: 1982-12-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I thank my colleague for his observations. He is correct. Other countries look out for themselves and their people. It is steel today. Tomorrow it will be computers. The Japanese are coming on very aggressively. and it will not be long until our lead in technology may be taken away from us. In high tech. computers. and so forth. the Japanese are very aggressive. They are going to be No. 1 in that area before long. We are No. 1 now. But the same thing is going to happen there as has happened to steel and footwear. My colleague has spoken about footwear. I was in Parsons. in Tucker County. not many weeks ago where they have had to cut a good many people off there. A good many employees in the town have lost their jobs in the footwear plant. I was told by the manager of the plant that since the quotas were lifted back the middle of the year. the increase in imports of footwear is about 30 percent from abroad. He also told me that about 60 percent of the footwear that the American people use is now imported. So every country except this country is looking out for its own people. Protectionism is a bad word around here. It should not even be in the dictionary. It is a bad word. It is not a four letter word. but it is a bad word. I feel that the time has come for America to show a little toughness on this issue. and it would seem to me if America did that we would find that our neighbors would be willing to sit down and talk about fair tradewhich ought to be a twoway street. I was about to say that the infrastructure improvements that are authorized in this legislation will require substantial volumes of steel. and I pointed out in November. this last month. that the unemployment rate in the steel industry was at 26 percent. An important portion of steel has spe- their old jobs. that they might never cial alloys in its for purposes of have them again. that Sears and some strengthening it and making it more of the other industries were employing resistant to corrosion. more employees than the steel indusIn other words. a piece of steel try. might be like a piece of rubber if it When De Tocqueville visited this were not for these alloys. country in the early 1840s. he said the So then where would our skyscrap- "incredible American believes that if ers be? Where would our bridges be if something has not yet been accomthose steel beams and steel columns plished it Is because he has not yet atwere devoid of this important and vital tempted it." ingredientferro alloys. Incredible people do Incredible An important portion of steel has things. And It was the Incredible special alloys in it for purposes of American who put a man on the strengthening it. making it more resis- Moon. and It took the launching of tant to corrosion. These alloys. ferro. Sputnik I to galvanize America Into chrome. and chrome alloy are neces- developing a space program that 10 sary ingredients for many of the high- years later put Neil Armstrong on the strength steels that are needed for the Moon. bridge and road improvement program. In Fayette County. in Olen Ferris. his native Earth and looked longingly there are West Virginians whose jobs at the Moon. But the incredible have been destroyed by unfair foreign American put a man on the Moon. trade in the ferroalloy industries. The where he stood and looked lovingly domestic ferroalloy industries. The do- back upon his home Earth. and it was mestic ferroalloy industry is operating the incredible American ingenuity at less than 20 percent of capacity. that brought that man safely back to Think of thatless than 20 percent of Earth again. capacity. To tell the steelworkers of this counSuppose this country gets into a war. try that they "may as well forget It. Are we going to be dependent upon they might never have their old Jobs other countries for the steel and the back." that is foreign. that Is alien to ferroalloys that are so vital to our se- the spirit that built this country. that curity? Or are we going to make our built America. and T do not agree with ships. our tanks. and our armored ve- that attitude at all. hicles out of fiberglass? I think we just need to have a little . Our economy is fast becoming a ferroalloy In our backbones. to stiffen serviceoriented economy. and I am our backbones in dealing with our glad to see serviceoriented industries friends and let them know that If they grow. I want them to grow. But this are going to set up these barriers or Nation should not become just a serv- these timeconsuming testing proce. iceoriented Nation. dures and certification procedures. as We must remain an industrialized the Japanese doour products are alNation if we are going to have a for- ready tested when they are sent to eign policy that works and if we are Japanbut if they set up these timegoing to be prepared militarily to keep consuming procedures. certification our country secure. procedures. testing procedures. If they