OCR Text |
Show OUR TARIFF PROBLEMS. EVery time Congress enacts a new tariff bill, or gets ready to put one into effect in the multiplicity of hearings hear-ings and debates over various individual individ-ual schedules, in the criticisms piled upon the bill by the enemies of the tariff legislation generally and of those who desire either higher or lower low-er rates on particular commodities, the real object of protection is sometimes some-times lost sight of. For this reason, it is well, occasionally to look at the situation from the national standpoint. stand-point. Aside from the raising of revenue by customs duties, the real object of the tariff is to equalize the cost of production at home and abraod. If the workers in Europe enjoyed the same wage scales and had the same standard stan-dard of living as that enjoyed by the workers in America, generally, in all branches of industry the levying of a tariff in the United States would be little more than arranging schedules to bring in the most revenue for the national treasury. Unfortunately however, how-ever, for the workers in Europe this condition does not occur in the present pres-ent scheme of world affairs. Wage scales and living conditions in Europe are not on a par with those in the United States. Since the World War there has been a greater margin of difference than ever before, due in large part to the d'sai-range-ment of economic factors in the old countries, and in still larger part to the greatly improved standard of living liv-ing in America. For this reason it is more important import-ant now than ever before that American Amer-ican industry be protected against cheap foreign competition. It is ob-viouss ob-viouss that goods produced with the cheapest labor will drive out of the market those produced in nations whare there is a higher wage scale. So that we must either potect our own, industries or consent to have our standard of living sink to that of oth-ed oth-ed countries of the world. For if foreign for-eign made products were permitted to come into the United States duty free whiLe commodities might be cheaper for the moment, there would be no hapjjy state of affairs for the con-sum con-sum er owing to the fact that the pur-chas pur-chas tag power of every bread earner in the country would sooner or later be depleted. Th & first result would not be even so m ild a condition as lowering the stand ard of living in America to Eur-opeam Eur-opeam levels. The result immediately would be the closing down of American Amer-ican factories, the curtailing of American Amer-ican production, and idleness and want everywhere. Instead of having a job at Eropean wages the workers probably would find himself without a job at any price. And what would a keen business man. He has learned the value of trusts and wide organ-zation. organ-zation. As soon as he had the market mar-ket within his grasp he would raise prices as high as he could get them and still maintain the business. There is no evidence to indicate that a European Eur-opean monopoly would be any easier on the people of America than an American monopoly would be, although al-though we have no American monopolies monopo-lies in the sense that these are manifest mani-fest in Europe. So in discussing the protective tariff tar-iff let us not overlook altogether these broad American principles. Our tariff tar-iff does not attempt to shut out foreign for-eign goods,' as is shown by the records rec-ords of our tremendous imports each year. A great many imports from other countries come in duty free, as is the case of commodities used exclusively exclus-ively on the farm. It only seeks to equalize the cost of production at home and abroad. Because of changing chang-ing conditions at home and abroad our present tariff schedules are not perfect. They require some revission, and such revission ought to be made. That is why Congress is now wrestling wrest-ling with the tariff problem. be the attraction of cheaper European goods if we had no money with which to buy t! bem ? And e 'en if the purchasing power of the Ui sited States were not decreased de-creased t t any appreciable extent there is l 10 assurance that we would ha.ve chea per commodities for any length of time even if we bought in the Europ- ean market. The European producer i y not a philanthropist, but |