manufacturers made slow progress at first, but by degrees they have been able to increase their business in spite of foreign competition. Being nearer the market, knowing the correct coloring of local views, and having other small advantages, it was possible for the American manufacturer to increase the size of his runs. By making large editions it was possible to improve the work and reduce the prices; but every time the American manufacturer lowered his prices the foreign manufacturer cut under him, until now the foreign manufacturer makes a much lower price to American importers than that at which he sells at home. The greatly increased use of picture postal cards has been the main factor in enabling the American manufacturer to progress at all, as the demand appears to be greater than the supply. There, however, appears to be no good reason why every card that is used in America should not be manufactured here, and this can be done if the American manufacturer is given reasonable protection. A few years ago picture postal cards were on sale in about 100 stores and shops in the United States; to-day they may be had in 80,000 different places. With protection the American manufacturer could not only make scenic postal cards, to the manufacture of which he is now practically confined, but could also manufacture art, novelty, and special day cards. The demand for cards is tremendous, as we have already shown, and with American manufacturers enabled to supply this demand employment would be given to thousands of employees at good wages, with reasonable hours, doing artistic and congenial work that would make the employees not only prosperous but happy and contented. Such protection would work no hardship on anyone excepting the foreign manufacturer and would prevent the sending of millions of dollars out of the country every year. It is not the purpose of the American manufacturer to raise the price of picture postal cards, but it is to enable him to meet with foreign competition that protection is asked. The principal item entering into the cost of picture postal cards is wages. In the United States the manufacturers of these cards pay their employees four and five times the amount paid to men of the same relative capacities in Europe, and pay their employees as many dollars per day as the manufacturers in Japan pay cents. Japan has recently commenced manufacturing picture postal cards in a large way, and competition from that source will soon be so keen and fostered by such favorable conditions to the Japanese manufacturer in the lowness of their wages there that the American manufacturer without protection can not hope to compete successfully. In foreign countries the working day is 10 hours or longer, while in America it is 8 hours, and the American manufacturer, in addition, pays time and a half for overtime and gives double pay for Sundays and holidays. Another element entering into the cost of picture postal cards is the price of materials, which is much higher in America than in foreign countries. At the present time picture postal cards have no distinct classification; the result is that no uniform duty is charged on them at the various ports of entry. The custom-house inspectors vary the charge in different ports, some passing picture postal cards as printed matter at 25 cents ad valorem, others as lithographed cards at 5 cents per pound, and a few others at still higher rates under various classifications. Picture postal cards should have a separate and dis tinct classification of their own, so that the rate of duty thereon could be uniform. This duty might be figured by the pound or by an ad valorem tax or by a fixed amount per card. The first two methods would doubtless make it necessary to grade the quality of the work, making a lower rate on printed cards, an intermediate rate on cards that were partly printed and partly lithographed, and a higher rate on straight lithographed work. A tax of a fixed amount on each card appears to be the most satisfactory tax, as it eliminates all question as to the exact process by which the cards were made, whether printed, lithographed, or made by both processes, and would thus make it impossible to deceive inspectors. This method also has the advantage of being the method already adopted in the Dingley tariff with reference to playing cards, which pay a duty of 10 cents per deck; each deck contains 52 cards, so that this rate is almost exactly one-fifth of 1 cent per card. Picture postal cards could easily bear a rate of one-quarter of 1 cent per card if playing cards bear a rate of one-fifth of 1 cent a card. The result of protecting playing cards has been seen in the great development of factories making playing cards in the United States and the increased employment of workmen in these factories. The same result would follow a protection given to picture postal cards. The Government would be justified in making the rate on picture postal cards higher than the rate on playing cards, because the Government itself derives a return from the use of postal cards. Under the present rates of postage the Government receives an income of 32 cents per pound from domestic letters, while postal cards pay a revenue to the Government of over $1 per pound. The phrase "picture postal cards" has been used throughout this brief, as it is a phrase that clearly covers and describes the sort of cards for which protection has been asked. The technical name for these cards as established by law and international agreement is "post cards," which distinguished the picture postals from the ordinary postal cards printed by the Government. Respectfully submitted. EDW. H. MITCHELL. SCHMIDT LITHOGRAPH Co. THE UNION LITHOGRAPH Co., LOUIS ROESCH COMPANY, LOUIS ROESCH, President. THE LITHOGRAPHERS' INTERNATIONAL PROTECTIVE AND BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION ASKS TARIFF PROTECTION. JERSEY CITY, N. J., November 28, 1908. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, M. C., Chairman Ways and Means Committee, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I am aware that your time is very limited; nevertheless, as I represent an organization the members of which will be very much affected by any mistakes made or by an unjust revision of the tariff, I take the liberty of addressing these few lines to you. The very principle of a protective tariff is for the purpose of protecting the investment of American capital and to permit such wages to be paid as will allow our wage-earners to live up to the American standard of living. And whensoever this issue has been placed before the American people for a decision it has been sustained by an overwhelming majority. It appears to me that those who are at the present shouting loudest for a revision of the tariff should draw aside the mask so as to show their true colors as advocates of free trade. To-day we find our country flooded with foreign lithographs, which is not due to any overcharges or monopoly of the American lithographer, but which is due to the difference in the methods of living between the American and German wage-earner. His wants are fewer, and consequently his earnings satisfy his wants. Have him make America his home, and his wants increase. He looks to be better clothed, his home is brightened with the custom of American homes, his increased wants require better wages, and it is this in turn that keeps the wheels of machinery going. Our country owes its greatness only to the fact that the wageearner has been able to get something more than a mere existence, and to change those conditions means a defeat of the party that is responsible for the same. I will not on this occasion touch upon the figures. They can be obtained by your committee. It is enough to say that the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of lithographs that are brought into our country should be done here by our workmen, who in turn will spend their earnings for American manufactured goods. Hoping this will receive your attention, I remain, Very truly, yours, FRANK GEHRING, General President Lithographers' International Protective and Beneficial Association of the United States and Canada. Letters in similar vein to the above, asking additional protection for post cards, calendars, sample cards, and the like, were received. from the following: Chilton Printing Company, Philadelphia, Pa.; Eugene A. Behr, 29 Mercer street, New York City; J. C. Marble & Son, Mangum, Okla GARTNER & BENDER, CHICAGO, ILL., ASK A DUTY OF THIRTYFIVE CENTS PER POUND ON POST CARDS. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, CHICAGO, November 30, 1908. Washington, D. C. GENTLEMEN: We are informed that some action will be taken in the next session of Congress on the tariff, and that the matter of the duty on post cards will be taken up. We are publishers of souvenir post cards and are of course interested in this matter very much. Our greatest competition is European-made cards: We find that the protection offered American publishers of souvenir post cards is not sufficient, mainly because European labor is considerably cheaper than American labor, and the duty of 5 cents per pound is not sufficient protection for American publishers to overcome the difference in the labor. The industry in this country is still in its infancy and should be encouraged. European competition is becoming keener, because foreigners now realize the possibilities of the American market. For the past two seasons we have attempted, in competition with European makers, to manufacture what is known as "season's goods"—that is, Christmas, New Year, valentine, and Easter souvenir post cards. This class of goods is now being offered to us by foreigners at such prices that it is not profitable for us any longer to manufacture them. This will necessarily lead to the discharge of a certain number of the employees now in the engraving and the printing departments. We believe this condition prevails also among other color printers and lithographers. All first-class color printers and lithographers will probably take up publishing of souvenir post cards if these conditions are bettered and they are protected from foreign competition, and thus a great many thousand people will be benefited. We sincerely trust that a favorable tariff will be obtained. A 5cent per pound duty is ridiculous. A rate of 35 cents per pound would be desirable and proper protection for domestic manufacturers. Yours, respectfully, GARTNER & BENDER. THE CRESCENT EMBOSSING COMPANY, PLAINFIELD, N. J., ASKS MORE PROTECTION FOR CALENDARS AND POST CARDS. Hon. S. E. PAYNE, M. C., PLAINFIELD, N. J., November 30, 1908. Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: AS color printers and embossers, we are interested in the tariff on calendars, post cards, etc. When the present tariff was enacted this business amounted to practically nothing in this country, but it has since grown to very large proportions in spite of the fact that German manufacturers have been dumping large quantities of their stock at sacrifice prices on the American market. This has especially been the case during the last twelve months on account of general business depression everywhere, and it has also been especially hard on the American manufacturers during that time. With the return of business prosperity now setting in, the manufacture of post cards, pictures, and calendars in this country can be developed wonderfully, if foreign goods are made to pay a reasonable duty. The present duty on post cards is only 5 cents per pound, which is practically nothing on high-priced cards, as it amounts to but about 35 cents to 40 cents per 1,000, and it seems a shame that the post cards representing views of all American cities should be made almost entirely in Germany, as they are at present. We do not feel that the American manufacturers are going out of business if the tariff is not made more protective, but we do feel that a reasonable increase in the tariff, amounting to 25 cents to 35 cents per pound, would result in a wonderful development of the industry in this country. Very truly, yours, CRESCENT EMBOSSING CO., GEORGE R. MEYERCORD, CHICAGO, ILL., FILES SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT RELATIVE TO LABOR IN FOREIGN LITHOGRAPH ING ESTABLISHMENTS. WILLIAM K. PAYNE, CHICAGO, December 1, 1908. Clerk Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: On Saturday, November 21, the chairman asked me to file some statistics as to where we got our prices on labor shown in the brief. We inclose herewith two original letters, one from the firm of G. Lowensohn, a lithographer in Furth, Bavaria, South Germany; also a letter from Segitz & Neidhardt, who quoted the rate of wages paid by his customer, Richard Fuchs, a lithographer in Berlin. I also inclose translated copies of both letters. Comparison of these wages with the schedule paid by the National Association of Employing Lithographers will show the rate to be exactly one-fourth, as we claim. I may state that I will probably secure a copy of the agreement between the employers association and the union in Germany. Failing in that, I will probably secure a printed copy of the official scale of either the employers or the unions in Germany. I further desire to make this offer: The Ways and Means Committee can, at their pleasure, send a special agent to any member of the National Association of Employing Lithographers, who will throw open his books for an investigation as to wages paid and the percentage of gross sales they bear, and to arrive at an average the special agent is perfectly at liberty to go into a dozen or more firms belonging to our association and investigate anything he wishes, and thus corroborate our statements. We will throw wide open the books of any member of our association. The special agent can pick at random whichever firms he wishes. I also inclose copy of the official publication of our association, giving shop rules and quoting wage statistics. The chairman asks us to file by dollars, not by quantities, the percentage compared to the whole amount of the various items entering into the manufacture. I quote this list below: |