Show national af affairs fairs by FRANK P LITSCHERT 1 the great common people have short memories so the politicians tells us but it Is a tact fact that their memories are not any shorter than those of the politicians it if as short for example we are hearing bearing hearm a great deal of noise fro from m tree free traders and internationalists the two terms are of course almost synonymous to the effect that the depression was caused by our high tariff yet as every one knoss our present tariff law was not enacted until months atter after the crash in the stock market and the sett setting ing in ot of the depression in vin ilent form A and n d as to the tariff which preceded the p present resent one it is to be remembered that under it we enjoyed the greatest period of prosperity ever toy by this or any other nation since the depression is worldwide world wide coming with a donation deflation of the boom which followed the ending of the world war it Is evident that it cannot be c wed red by the tariff any more than that I 1 IS was caused by the tariff and yet there cm cin be little doubt that the new tariff Glae dules have helped some even though in most instances they are not yet high enough to equalize the cost of production at home and abroad two industries which begin to show signs of coming coining out of the slump at this time are the textile and the shoe industries and these are two which it was expected the new riff rates would help in an address at binghamton new york recently secretary of 0 labor doak declared that the shoe industry in the united states Is now operating on an average of ninety per cent and Is 16 the first to show d definite finite improvement and he ha added that what t I 1 have said about boots and shoes applies equally to leathers for before the present tariff act vast quantities of leathers of various kinds were being imported into the united states to the detriment of our tanning industry and that Is another reason why our present tariff law protects the american tanning industry and its workmen mr doak noted also that the number of employed emp loyes in the cotton textile industry increased notably in july over july 1930 and he added that there has been a decided increase in the number of employed emp loyes er engaged in the manufacture of woolen and worsted goods despite the in the number of employed emp loyes in iconic other lines not protected ty by the I 1 tariff here la is at leant a part of the atory concerning the new tariff and it isby Is by no means a discouraging one it la Is true tr e that our foreign trade Is lower than ua a year ago but this Is on account or of lower prices and the decreased purchasing power in america and abroad land and it la Is noteworthy that imports ot of commodities on which there are no duties have decreased its as much it if not more than the imports ot of those which have to pay a tariff showing that the new tariff law itself la Is not responsible tor for the de dc crease la in our foreign trade I 1 I 1 one commodity we are sure to hear something about in the coming session cession of congress is on oil independent producers from the southwest are going to ask for a tariff on the importation of oil ard oil products stating that there la Is no use in their curtailing production it if the country Is to be flooded with imports the old cry of the free traders will be raised to the effect that we ought to impost oil and save our own product lor or the future but tho the old argument Is 1 bout about worn orv out long before our 0 oil 1 I reserves r run in out there Is little doubt that the nations ot of the world will be using something other than gasoline tor for motive power in a 1030 1000 page book entitled petroleum recently issued by ralph arnold and william J M kemnitzer well known and reputable geologists it Is estimated that there Is now a year 0 oil I 1 supply in the united states who expects the american people to be using gasoline for motive power that long the book asserts that less than two per cent of the oil has been produced to date this Is a startling revelation mr kemnitzer IC emial tzer said and it controverts contro verts in disputably the conservation propaganda that has constantly been put forth since the beginning ot of the industry just as startling is the fact act that there has not been overproduction but rather underproduction ot of oil to in the united states the huge surpluses have been built up by imports ol of cheap oil here Is the answer to the tree free traders a gain they would have us buy foreign oil U and keep our own oil locked in the earth arth until un t 11 it will be no longer 0 of im industrially another case of drope and asia first destroy american business malness to help the rest of the world |