FY 1920 Annual Report
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Fourth Annual Report of the United States Tariff Commission 1920 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1921 UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION. Office: 1322 New York Avenue, Washington, D. C. COMMISSIONERS : THOMAS "\YALKER p AGE, Chairman. DAVID J. LEWIS. "\VILLIAM S. CULBERTSON. EDWARD P. COSTIGAN. JOHN F. BETHUNE, Secretary. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF TIDS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASIDNGTON, D. C. AT 10 CENTS PER COPY v LETTER OF SUBMITTAL. UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION, Washington, December 6, 19fJO. MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: In compliance with the provisions of section 703 of the act of Congress approved September 8, 1916, "to increase the revenue and for other purposes," I transmit herewith a copy of the fourth annual report of the United !States Tariff Com mission. Very truly yours, THOMAS WALKER p AGE, Chairman. Hon. FREDERICK H. GILLETT, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, D. 0. 3 CONTENTS. l'agr. Letter of submittal ________________ ....... _____ ... _.. __ .................. 3 Changes in personnel. __ ... _. ______ ... _...... _. ______ . ______ .. _. __ ........ 5 Inadequacy of appropriation ______ .......... _. _________ . __ ............... 5 Former recommendations renewed: Interim legislation ... _.. _..... _..... ____ ...... ___ .... ______ ........... 6 Customs administrative laws. ___ . __ ._ ....... __________________ .. __ ._. __ _ 7 Foreign trade zones. _____ . ____________________________________ . ____ ... _. 8 Dumping and unfair competition in the United States. _____ ._ ..... _... _.. 8 Reciprocity and commercial treaties. _____________ .. _. ______ . ___ . _____ .. 9 Summary of investigations during the year: International tariff relations and commercial treaties._ ... _..... _._. ______ _ 11 Tariff policies for dependent colonies._ .. __ . _______ . ________ . __ . ________ _ 11 Co=ercial treaties. __ .. ____ . ___ ._ .... __ ._. ___ ._ ... _._ ....... _._ ... _._ 12 Canadian reciprocity ..... _____ ._. ___ .... _____________________________ . 12 The woolgrowing industry. ___________________ . __ . __________ .. ________ .. 14 Special export and import railroad rates and other preferential transporta- tion rates. ______ .. _.. ___ ._ .. ____ . ___________ ...... __ ... __ . ________ ._ 15 Industrial readjustment of certain mineral industries affected by the war __ 16 Cooperation with the Senate and House: Special services rendered the Senate Finance Committee on the dye bill (H. R. 8078). -.. ______ . _. _... _...... --------.. ---.. - ... __ . ______ . _. _ 20 Compilations for the House Committee on Ways and Means- Summary of tariff information __ ..... _._ .... ____ . _________ . __ ... _. __ _ 20 Statistics of imports and duties, 1908-1918. _. _... _. ______ . __ ..... _. _ 21 Dictionary of tariff subjects .. _.. _____________ ... _._._ .. __ . __ ._ .. _._ 21 Investigations in foreign countries: A survey of the British wool-manufacturing industry_. ______________ . __ _ 22 Silk production and manufacture in Europe._. __ ... ___ ._ ... ___ ._ .. ___ _ 23 British metal and chemical industries .. _____________ . _____ .. __ .. _. ____ _ 23 Industrial investigations in Japan. __ . ______________________ ._._ ... _._ .. 25 Tariff information surveys: Schedule A: Chemicals, oils, paints- Barytes, barium chemical, and lithopone industries _______ . ________ _ 28 The crude botanical drug industry ... ___________ . __ . __ .. _________ . __ _ 30 The incandescent gas mantle industry_ - __ . _.. _... ___ .. _.... _____ .. _. 31 Census of dyes and other coal-t~r chemicals, 1919 .. __ ... _. _. ___ . _____ _ 33 Cost of production in the dye industry, 1918 and 1919 ..... ___ . _______ _ 34 Surveys of other chemical industries. __ ... __ .. __ ._. _____ . ___ .... _. __ _ 35 Schedule :i3: Earths, earthenware, and glassware. ___ ._ .. __ ... __ . __ ._ ... _._ 38 Schedule C: Metals and manufactures oL _.. ___ . __ .. _. _. _. _.. _.......... 40 Resume .. _.... _...... _.. __ . _.. ___ . ____ .. __ .. __ .. __ .... _. _....... _ 40 Ferroalloys. ____ ~ .... __ . _____ .. _.. _. _____ . __ ...... _.. _... _____ . ___ _ 42 Schedule D: Wood and manufactures of.. ----____ . ___ ... _. ________ . _.. __ 44 Schedule E: Sugar, molasses, and manufactures oL. __ . ___ . __ . ____ . _..... _ 46 Schedule G: Agricultural products. ____ . -. - - _____ . _. ___ . _- .. ___ . _..... _ 47 .\ gricultural staples and the tariff ____ . _................. _..... _... 47 Dairy products ...................... -... -............... -......... 48 Vegetable oils and fats ... _....... _.. -............................ _.. 48 Starches and starch materials .... ____ ........................... _.. 49 Fish, oysters, and other shellfish .. _........ _....................... 49 Schedule I: Cotton manufactures--cotton cloth __ ................ _. __ ... 50 Schedule J: Flax, hemp, jute, and manufactures of. ................. _... 53 Schedule K: \\"ool and manufactures of. .............................. - 54 Schedule L: Silks and silk goods ....... -......... --................... 55 Schedule M: Papers and books ................ -............... _....... 56 Schedule N: Sundries ..... _... -............... ---.................... 57 Commission library ............... -............. --...... -........ -.. -.... -.. 58 Finances and appropriation ............ -... --.. -.. -- ...... -............. -.. 58 Appendix: . .. Act creatmg a Tanff Comm1ss10n .......... --....... -........ _......... 60 Important tariff acts in last 50 years ......... : .......................... 62 Acts of Congress relating to imports passed smce October 3, 1913 ........ 62 4 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION. WASHINGTON, D. C., December 6, 1920. To the CONGRESS: The United States Tariff Commission begs to submit herewith its fourth annual report, covering the fiscal year 1919-20. C(L\.NGES IN PERSONNEL. By the resignation of Hon. William Kent1 of California, which took effect March 1, 1920, the commission lost the aid of one of the mem bers appointed by the President at the time of its establispment four years ago. Mr. Kent had personally conducted several important mvestigations upon which reports have been made and had actively participated in others. His knowledge of public affairs, his expe rience m business, his wisdom and liberality of mind were given with unflagging devotion to the successful performance of the duties laid upon the commission by the law under which it was created. His resignation following upon that of Hon. F. W. Taussig leaves two unfilled vacancies in the membership of the commission. INADEQUACY OF APPROPRIATION. When the act of Congress was passed which determined the work to be done by the Tariff Commission it was impossible to foresee what expenditures must be made to carry on that work with success. It was estimated that they m~ght be cove~ed by an appropriation of $300,000 per annum. Expenence soon disclosed the madequacy of this sum. Even under the conditions then prevailing, it would have been impossible for the commission to J?rosecute all the lines of activity enumerated in the law, and the situation has become much more difficult by reason of the increase during the past four years in the cost of everything for which the commission must pay. Travel ing expenses of mvestigators in the field, the salaries of scientific and business experts, payments for temporary special services, expendi tures for foreign mquiries, and many other important items have reached leV'els much higher than was contemplated at the time the commission's duties were fixed. As a result it has been impossible for the commission to maintain a staff large enough to cover with completeness the whole field assigned to it by law. It was unable to pay salaries sufficient to secure the services of experts in many branches of industrial and commercial investigations, or even, in deed, as the remuneration offered by business enterprises continued to grow to hold in its service some highly esteemed members of its staff. Its work, therefore, has frequently been delayed by the with drawal of experienced employees and the difficulty and delay in replacing them. Its inquiries in foreign countries have been ham pered and greatly reduced in scope by lack of funds. For the same 5 6 ANXUAL REPORT OF UNITED STATES TARIFF COM~IISSION. reas?n i~ has bee~ impossible to keep entirely up to date many in vestigat10ns both m this country and abroad that were carried out during the past three years. The commission ventures to bring this matter to the attention of the Congress, ~ot as an apology for the character of the work it has done,_ but as mformation regarding an insuperable obstacle to the full discharge of its functions. The commission takes occasion further ~o dir~ct att~ntion to the fact that during every year of its existence m spite of its urgent needs, it has scrupulously lived within th~ appropriation assigned to it. Receiving neither emergency nor de ficiency appropriations, it has sought to use to best advantage in the public welfare such funds as were put at its disposal. An outline of the activities to which these funds have been devoted during the past year is presented in the following pages of this report. FORMER RECOMMENDATIONS RENEWED. The Tariff Commission renews its recommendations contained in the commission's third annual report under the ensuing heads: "Interim legislation"; "Customs administrative laws"; "Foreign trade zones"; "Dumping and unfair foreign