BUTTON FORMS. [Paragraph 413.] AMERICAN BRAID MANUFACTURERS ASK FOR HIGHER DUTY FOR BUTTON FORMS OF MOHAIR AND OTHER MATERIALS. NEW YORK CITY, December 1, 1908. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, Washington, D. C. GENTLEMEN: Button forms: Lastings, mohair, cloth, silk, or other manufactures of cloth, woven or made in patterns of such size, shape, or form, or cut in such manner as to be fit for buttons exclusively, ten per centum ad valorem. We recommend that this paragraph be stricken out. It permits the importation of the various manufactured articles therein enumerated at a very much lower rate than provided for in other schedules of this act for the same articles. At the duty of 10 per cent ad valorem assessed in this paragraph it is impossible for the domestic manufacturer to compete with the foreign manufacturer of these articles, and not only deprives him of any protection whatsoever, but prohibitively discriminates against him by the duty which is imposed on the various yarns of which these articles are made. Respect fully submitted by the braid manufacturers of the United States. HENRY W. SCHLOSS, President American Braid Manufacturers' Association. BUTTONS. [Paragraph 414.] THE AMERICAN BUTTON CO., NEWARK, N. J.. WISHES SPECIAL CLASSIFICATION FOR UNIFORM METAL BUTTONS. 70 MORRIS AVENUE, Newark, N. J., November 24, 1908. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, Committee of Ways and Means, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: We manufacture metal buttons. These goods are classed under Schedule N, article 414. The duty on these, while not as high as we would like, is half fair and the competition can be met to a certain extent. We pray your honorable body, however, that metal buttons used for uniforms be specially classed by themselves. The specific duty on these goods does not protect us, and would pray that an ad valorem duty be imposed of 45 per cent. This would be equivalent to present tariff on articles made from brass, not otherwise specified, Schedule C, article 193. We hope for this change, as government goods should be made in this country, if possible, and several contracts for buttons, etc., have recently been awarded to foreign people, something we do not think would be allowed by any other government of the world. This 45 per cent protection would help us, and we pray for relief. Respectfully submitted. AMERICAN BUTTON Co., CHARLES K. WRIGHT, President. THE ROCHESTER (N. Y.) BUTTON COMPANY ASKS FOR COMPOUND DUTIES ON VEGETABLE IVORY BUTTONS. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, ROCHESTER, N. Y., November 25, 1908. Chairman Ways and Means Committee, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: We address you as manufacturers of vegetable ivory buttons. The present tariff shown in Schedule N, page 44, paragraph 414. We also beg to call your attention to the fact that vegetable ivory, our raw material, comes in free, as it is not grown in this country. This is shown in paragraph 584, page 53. We beg to refer you to paper presented before the Ways and Means Committee January 21, 1897, and printed on page 1811 of those hearings. This paper was correct at that time, and on which you granted to our industry the present rate of duty. The rate now in force has benefited our industry in so far that the number of employees has been increased (comparing government census of 1900 against 1905) 150 per cent. The amount of capital invested has increased over 100 per cent and the amount of wages paid over 48 per cent. The inclosed paper presented shows that at that time we were paying for labor 450 per cent more than Germany, Austria, or Italy for identically the same class of labor. To-day American labor has been increased as above 48 per cent, and the foreign labor-used then for comparison-but slightly. We request your honorable committee in the readjustment of the tariff, if consistent, to give us what we asked for in 1897-1 cent per line of one-fortieth of an inch per gross, and in addition thereto 25 per cent ad valorem as a maximum duty and leave the present rate as it is as a minimum duty. We have several hundred employees depending upon this industry for their living, of all political parties, even socialistic, and they all of them appeal to us to do all that we can to prevent cheap buttons being imported into this country. Whether we have three-quarters of 1 cent per line per gross and an ad valorem duty, the amount of the duty on buttons on a suit of clothes is so infinitesimally small that it hardly affects the consumer, but it is of very great importance to the manufacturers and their employees. We can not pay present wages if the tariff on our industry is reduced. Italy has practically ruined the button industry in Canada, where they have no specific duty. We need for fair protection a specific as well as an ad valorem duty. An ad valorem duty does not protect anyone, on account of fictitious values, unless in connection with a specific duty. We appeal to you for fair and legitimate protection for our labor (80 per cent of the cost of the goods is in labor) against foreign labor and a legitimate and legal rate of profit on money invested. As far as our own particular business is concerned, we are perfectly willing to have anyone investigate and substantiate the statement that there have been no excessive profits made. There is no trust, combination, or agreement in the button industry. We ask your consideration of our request, and beg to remain, ROCHESTER BUTTON CO., THE WATERBURY (CONN.) BUTTON CO. WISHES PRESENT DUTIES ON CLOTH-COVERED BUTTONS RETAINED. WATERBURY, CONN., November 25, 1908. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, Washington, D. C. GENTLEMEN: One of our products of manufacture is cloth-covered buttons. The raw material from which these buttons are made is, first, tagger's iron, which to-day is almost entirely manufactured in this country. This iron is used as a base over which the cloth is drawn. The cloth covers are largely imported and are dutiable under section N, article 413. We pray your honorable committee to continue this paragraph as it is. The cloth-covered-button industry is quite varied and largely a matter of fashion. We have no reliable statistics to offer as to whether the present duty is sufficient to protect American labor as against the foreign labor. We would, however, pray your honorable committee that cloth-covered buttons be continued at present rate of duty, viz, section N, article 414. The product we are very much interested in is buttons manufactured from vegetable ivory. The raw material (ivory nut) is imported from South America and is on the free list, and we pray your honorable body may remain there. It is our desire that the present tariff stand as classed, viz, Schedule N, article 414. Vegetable-ivory buttons are used for a great variety of garments, and the business as a whole is of no mean proportions. The manufacturers' census of 1905, Bulletin 85, shows that there was produced in the year 1904 vegetable-ivory buttons to the amount of 2,470,409 gross, valued at $1,305,766. This is only about a 20 per cent increase over the census of 1900, and would go to show that the duty as now imposed protected the domestic manufacturers by a very narrow margin. We therefore pray your honorable committee let paragraph 414 of Schedule N stand as it is and thus protect one of the small but useful industries. We also manufacture metal buttons. These goods are classed under Schedule N, paragraph 414. It is our desire that your committee let this paragraph remain as it is. The business has made a steady growth since the passage of this act, as is shown by the comparison of census between 1890 and 1905. The metal buttons mentioned in article 414 are particularly the fancy buttons, made from metal, used on ladies' suits and ladies' cloaks. These are at times imported in large quantities. These are protected by the specific duty. We pray your honorable body that metal buttons used for uniforms, such as the United States Army, railroads, steamships, and all other uniforms, be specially classed by themselves. We find that the specific duty on these does not protect us, and would pray that an ad valorem duty be imposed of 45 per cent. This would be equivalent to the present tariff on articles made from brass not otherwise specified, Schedule C, article 193: "Articles or wares not specially provided for in this act, composed wholly or in part of iron, steel, nickel, pewter, zinc, gold, silver, platinum, aluminum, or other metal, and whether wholly or partly manufactured, 45 per cent ad valorem." We advise this change from the fact that uniform buttons are plated with a certain amount of precious metal. The value of this plating is generally specified in contract, and is a matter easily found out by the appraiser. We make this prayer owing to the fact that English competition has been able to take several contracts for furnishing the United States Government army buttons during the past few months. Were they obliged to pay an ad valorem duty of 45 per cent we should be able to hold that business in this country. Therefore we would recommend that there be added to Schedule N, article 414, a paragraph, as follows: Metal buttons for uniforms not specially provided for in this act, 45 per cent ad valorem." Respectfully submitted. WATERBURY BUTTON COMPANY, THE STEELE & JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, WATERBURY, CONN., WISHES A DUTY OF FIFTY PER CENT PLACED ON METAL UNIFORM BUTTONS. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, WATERBURY, CONN., November 25, 1908. Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: We are manufacturers of metal buttons for uniforms particularly, and of late have suffered seriously from foreign competition, both in connection with the general trade and the United States Government as well. 61318-SCHED N-098 Referring to Bulletin 85, Census of Manufacturers, 1905, Table 11, buttons, shows the value of imports of metal buttons, not specially provided for, as follows: 1900, $58,189; 1905, $233,664, an increase in five years of nearly 300 per cent. We would earnestly request your honorable body to fix on uniform buttons, manufactured from metal, an ad valorem duty of not less than 50 per cent. Respectfully, STEELE & JOHNSON MANUFACTURING Co., B. BLUMENTHAL & CO., OF NEW YORK CITY, THINK AN INCREASE IN DUTY ON BUTTONS IS NOT NEEDED. Hon. S. E. PAYNE, 514 AND 516 BROADWAY, New York, November 25, 1908. Chairman Committee on Ways and Means, DEAR SIR: House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. The importation of buttons, which amounted to about $4,000,000 per annum prior to 1890, and would undoubtedly be over $10,000,000 per annum at the present time if the rate of duty had not been_advanced, only amounted to $581,887.81 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908. As it is possible that some of the manufacturers may ask for an increased rate of duty, above figures are sufficient to demonstrate that no increased rate of duty is necessary. Should you at any time desire any further information on paragraph 414 we will be pleased to furnish same. Respectfully, yours, B. BLUMENTHAL & Co. THE UNITED OCEAN PEARL MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA ASKS MAINTENANCE OF THE PRESENT PROTECTIVE DUTY ON PEARL BUTTONS. WILLIAM K. PAYNE, ARLINGTON, N. J., November 25, 1908. Clerk Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: The United Ocean Pearl Manufacturers' Association of America begs leave to submit to your committee the inclosed brief, and kindly invite your earnest consideration of the same, relating to the tariff on pearl buttons. The association representing the various trades that use mother-ofpearl as raw material, beg respectfully to submit to your committee the following: That there does not exist in the pearl industry any combination of trades of any sort: neither do any agreements or understandings |