PARAGRAPH 419-PLAYING CARDS. the manufacturers in this country equal to the extra labor expense they are put to, but we feel that the duty should be reduced in that proportion. The matter was touched upon this afternoon by one of the gentlemen appearing before you, who is not here now, as to duty on boxes. I want to make it clear to you that we are satisfied, and perfectly satisfied, to have the duty arranged in the same manner on paper boxes. paper That is all, I believe I have to say. Paragraph 419. Playing cards, in packs not exceeding fifty-four cards and at a like rate for any number in excess, ten cents per pack and twenty per centum ad valorem. PLAYING CARDS. STATEMENT OF RUSSELL PLAYING CARD CO., NEW YORK, N. Y. Hon. OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD, NEW YORK, January 11, 1913. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: In the Wilson tariff of 1894 the duty on playing cards in packs not exceeding 54 cards was reduced from the former duty of 50 cents per pack to 10 cents per pack and 20 per cent ad valorem. Under the same bill in August, 1894, and interal revenue tax of 2 cents per pack was placed on playing cards in the United States. The playing card industry has been operating under this duty and under this internalrevenue tax ever since. The industry is a small one, the total annual sales being less than $3,000,000 after paying the internal-revenue tax. The average net price per pack received by the manufacturer is about 8 or 84 cents per pack, so that the internal revenue tax of 2 cents is about 25 per cent of the net price received by the manufacturer. When the tax was put on in 1894 it took the industry some time to get adjusted to the new conditions. Its growth from that date to this has on an average annually increased between 5 and 5 per cent. The industry is such a limited luxury and such a peculiar one that the interest of playing card users readily changes from one game to another, without increasing the consumption. The machinery required in the manufacture of playing cards is mostly special and useless for any other purpose. The labor employed is of special nature, requiring years of training to become skilled, and the industry thereby affords constant and steady employment to such labor, the average wage rate being even higher than the union rate. Labor (printing and lithograph) in the leading foreign countries averages about one-third of what it is here in this country, so that it would be impossible to compete with foreign countries. The foreign manufacturers copy us closely in manufacture, and even literally copy our designs on the faces and backs. Our export business is very limited, because Russia, France, and other countries prohibit the importation of cards altogether on account of the industry being a Government monopoly in those countries. Again, Canada, England and its colonies discriminate against us. The whole industry in this country has not yielded 6 per cent on the investment. We could not compete with the cheap labor of Europe. If the duty were lower, we would have no recourse against their product brought to this country imitating ours, so that our equipment, useless for any other purpose, would have to lie idle, the people would be out of employment, and our stockholders' investment would be practically limited in value to what they could get out of the land and buildings. All of these matters are subject to investigation and proof; and we sincerely hope, therefore, that the industry will be allowed to continue as it is without change. Respectfully submitted. BENJ. ROSENTHAL, President. PARAGRAPH 419-PLAYING CARDS. A. DOUGHERTY, NEW YORK CITY, WRITE CONCERNING PLAYING CARD INDUSTRY. Hon. OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD, Chairman Committee on Ways and Means, NEW YORK, January 17, 1913. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: In the Wilson tariff of 1894, the duty on playing cards in packs not exceeding 54 cards was reduced from the former duty of 50 cents per pack to 10 cents per pack and 20 per cent ad valorem. Under the same bill in August, 1894, the internal revenue tax of 2 cents per pack was placed on playing cards in the United States. The playing-card industry has been operating under this duty and under this internal revenue tax ever since. The industry is a small one, the total sales being less than $3,000,000 after paying the internal-revenue tax. The average net price per pack received by the manufacturer is about 8 or 84 cents per pack, so that the internal-revenue tax of 2 cents is about 25 per cent of the net price received by the manufacturer. When the tax was put on in 1894, it took the industry some time to get adjusted to the new conditions. Its growth from that date to this has on an average annually increased between 5 and 54 per cent. The industry is such a limited luxury and such a peculiar one that the interest of playing card users readily changes from one game to another without increasing the consumption. The machinery required in the manufacture of playing cards is mostly special, and useless for any other purpose. The labor employed is of a special nature, requiring years of training to become skilled, and the industry thereby affords constant and steady employment to such labor, the average wage rate being even higher than the union rate. Labor (printing and lithograph) in the leading foreign countries averages about one-third of what it is here in this country, so that it would be impsosible to compete with foreign countries. The foreign manufacturers copy us closely in manufacture, and even literally copy our desings on the faces and backs. Our export business is very limited, because Russia, France, and other coutries prohibit the importation of cards altogether on account of the industry being a Government monopoly in those countries, and then Canada, England, and its colonies discriminate against us. The whole industry in this country has not yielded 6 per cent on the investment. We could not compete with the cheap labor of Europe. If the duty were lower, we would have no recourse against their product in this country imitating ours, so that our equipment, useless for any other purpose, would have to lie idle, our people would be out of employment, and our stockholders' investment would be practically limited in value to what they would get out of the land and buildings. All of these matters are suject to investigation, and proof, and we sincerely hope, therefore, that the industry will be allowed to continue as it is without change. Respectfully submitted. A. DOUGHERTY. BRIEF OF THE UNITED STATES PLAYING CARD CO., CINCINNATI, OHIO, ET AL. Hon. OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD, THE UNITED STATES PLAYING CARD Co., Chairman Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: In the Wilson tariff of 1894 the duty on playing cards in packs not exceeding 54 cards was reduced from the former duty of 50 cents per pack to 10 cents per pack and 20 per cent ad valorem. Under the same bill in August, 1894, the internal-revenue tax of 2 cents per pack was placed on playing cards in the United States. The playing-card industry has been operating under this duty and under this internal-revenue tax ever since. The industry is a small one, the total sales being less than $3,000,000, after paying the internal-revenue tax. The average net price per pack received by PARAGRAPH 419-PLAYING CARDS. the manufacturer is about 8 cents or 8 cents per pack, so that the internalrevenue tax of 2 cents is about 25 per cent of the net price received by the manufacturer. When the tax was put on in 1894 it took the industry some time to get adjusted to the new conditions. Its growth from that date to this has, on an average, annually increased between 5 per cent and 5 per cent. The industry is such a limited luxury and such a peculiar one that the interest of playing-card users readily changes from one game to another without increasing the consumption. The machinery required in the manufacture of playing cards is mostly special and useless for any other purpose. The labor employed is of a special nature, requiring years of training to become skilled, and the industry thereby affords constant and steady employment to such labor, the average wage rate being even higher than the union rate. Labor (printing and lithograph) in the leading foreign countries averages about one-third of what it is here in this country, so that it would be impossible to compete with foreign countries. The foreign manufacturers copy us closely in manufacture and even literally copy our designs on the faces and backs. Our export business is very limited, because Russia, France, and other countries prohibit the importation of cards altogether, on account of the industry being a Government monopoly in those countries, and then Canada, England, and its colonies discriminate against us. The whole industry in this country has not yielded 6 per cent on the investment. We could not compete with the cheap labor of Europe. If the duty were lower, we would have no recourse against their product in this country imitating ours, so that our equipment, useless for any other purpose, would have to lie idle, our people would be out of employment, and our stockholders' investment would be practically limited in value to what they would get out of the iand and buildings. All of these matters are subject to investigation and proof, and we sincerely hope, therefore, that the industry will be allowed to continue as it is without change. Respectfully submitted. PARAGRAPH 420. THE UNITED STATES PLAYING CARD Co. AMERICAN PLAYING Card Co., Manufactures of paper, or of which paper is the component material of chief value, not specially provided for in this section, thirty-five per centum ad valorem. This concludes the hearings on Schedule M. |