Show New Tariff Begets Reprisals The reprisals against the United States because of the pr protective tariff act recently passed by congress which were predicted during Its have begun Great Britain Britain Bri Dri- tain has struck shuck the first blow and aimed It at at- atthe the American rubber In in- in It will be recalled that during the months when the tariff act was pending British interests protested against the high rates rate which would keep British products out of the American market Delegations of business men from England appeared appear appear- ed before the ways and means and the finance committees asking tasking lower lower low low- er rates Their appeals fell on deaf ears This his amounted to a declaration of economic war The United States erected a tariff wall to keep British goods out Now Great Britain In retaliation retaliation retaliation re re- is back at a very tend tender r spot in American industry The British have wel weI advanced a aplan aplan plan to make the United States paya pay a vastly Increased price for crude rubber Not a pound of rubber grows grO on American soil solI We must Import all the fhe rubber we need forthe forthe for forthe the hundreds hundreds' of thousands of automobile automobile automobile auto auto- mobile tires for lor electrical apparatus and for the hundred and one other uses to which this hi product is put The method being employed by Great Britain Is to lay an export tax on the export of rubber from her hor possessions which produce this valuable valuable val val- commodity Such possession Include include in include In- In clude the Island of Ceylon Straits Settlements and Federated Malay Straits These are the principal rubber rubber rubber rub rub- ber producing areas of the world Brazil produces rubber but because of a difference in quality and especially because of the manner of conditioning for export the American rubber industry uses chiefly the product from the British rubber producing regions The United d States consumes as much crude rubber as all the rest of fir the world put together so any governmental governmental governmental gov gov- action by Great Britain tending to increase Its he price prIces prIce's is rs a di direct direct dl- dl blow at she he United States The tax must 1 be e paid to the tho government government government gov gov- before belore the crude rubber can be exported so the trie price of or rubber laid lad down in the United States sill be substantially higher It Is too early to make any definite t estimates but the rubber industry admits that the action of Great Britain will add millions of dollars n a year ear to 10 o the American merican publics public's bill for tires as aswell aswell aswell well as for the numerous other ether rubber rubber rub rub- ber her articles of every-day every consumption tion 7 A f W The Tho American rubber in Industry is protesting vigorously against the action action action ac ac- ac- ac tion of Great Britain but there is no reason to believe that Great BrItain Britain Britain Bri BrI- tain will pay any more attention to American protests than we paid to the British protests against the tariff England protested against an American import tax now the Unk- Unk ed States protests against a British export tax Both protests are doomed doomed doom doom- ed to the same reception Wo We Must l Pay a the the Price The economic result Is that England England England Eng Eng- land will sell less goods In our market market market mar mar- ket and that if we want British rubber rub ber bel we must pay the price whatever it is The proverbial American spirit of fair play must say fair enough but It is hard to smile I when the flivver new tires allaround all aU allaround around and w when en the blowouts come In such a situation a puncture teaches more about practical politics than a textbook Great Britain feels reasonably sure that the United States must mus have rubber no matter It and she is well justified in soon sneD an assumption Rubber I is essential In Inso Inso inso so many manufactures and is so SJ common common common com com- mon an article of daily dally use that the people cannot get along without It Therefore the price must mus n D DO paid and England will collect England feels particularly comfortable com corn about the rubber export I tax because of the de deut dent t situation t It II Itis is an economic mic axiom that r reign foreign l balances can cau be paid only in m three gays tas In gold In goods gODda and ami in ser ser- ser ser- vices Figland is willing to pay us cis usall all the gold she can spara i ail a recently recently re rc- re- re sent over of he yellow More Is canin But she has riot enough to meet her in In- In The next form is gOD goods S. S She would be very glad to ship great quantities of goods to the American market and was prepared to o do so when congress put up the tariff barrIer barrier barrier bar bar- rier and declared that we Wt would woul not accept goods Payment in servI services cs is going on constantly that is BritIsh BritIsh British Brit Brit- ish ships are carrying American goods British hotels are entertaining entertain entertain- ing American tourists ana anc American n ships are obtaining British insurance ance This Is a tedious process process process Now while this Situation obtains the American people at the tile same time are pressing for payment of the tile thede de debt t which Great Britain owes She hasn't the gold we wont won't take her goods payment In services is slow some other plan must be found There are some co commodities which the United States does not produce but which the British empire does Accordingly the obvious thing to tD do 10 dois dois is to raise the prices or suCh com com- nL lC i. i L IJ IM modUles Tho The United States must buy from Great Britain and pay hand This is a way of meeting the debt This is precisely what is happening happening happen happen- ing in the case of rubber tax We Ve must have rubber rubner That is It something the tariff noes not keep out Great Britain pay us in rubber She will not pay par us a great deal Of rubber for a given given en sum but a little rubber for a given sum In this way war the debt will be cut down Similar Reprisals Expected The officials at Washington expect the plan to tD be extended There are other commodities which Great Britain Bri Dri- tain tamn produces but of which we produce produce produce pro pro- duce very little or none at all Tin Tinis Tinis Tinis is one of these It would not surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise official Washington to see Great Britain raise the price of her hex tin du To some extent the price of tea could be raised although there the production of Japan and arid China would cut down the British ly The American protective tariff is built on the theory that the United States produces practically all the raw material she nee as That was especially true until runner rUDDer became so SD Important an element in n modern life Rubber is the most vulnerable point of attack and that is the spot Great Britain picked out There are not many others to tD fins finer out but wherever wherever ever ever there Is a comm commodity of or which h Great Britain has anything like Uke a a monopoly and the United States has hasa a lack the tho American people can make up their minds to pay heavy hean toll |