submitted by the National Association of Employing Lithographers, and we believe that the provisions suggested are so clear that it will be unnecessary to resort to courts for interpretation.

LITHOGRAPHS CLASSED WITH OTHER PRODUCTS.

We again beg to urge the incorporation in the new tariff of the following clause as a section under this heading of "Lithographic imports:

Lithographs cased with other products.-No box, case, or other package containing any importation to this country, not included in this paragraph, shall contain any lithographic print from stone, zinc, or aluminum, or other material, or other items or goods listed in this section.

The purpose of this is to prevent foreign importers or manufacturers from including 1, 2, 3, or other small number of show cards or other lithographed or advertising matter in the cases or packages containing the product they are sending to this country to sell. As foreign importations of certain goods amount in the aggregate to a large number of cases, the inclusion of show cards, lithographs, etc., in the case or package containing the commodity, not only is a source of loss to the lithographic industry of the United States, but also is a very large loss of revenue to the Government, and the above paragraph, if adopted, would cause the importer to bring his lithographed or other advertising matter into the country in separate cases, thus causing a duty to be levied on same, with a corresponding amount of revenue to the Government

LEGEND.

We recommend that the following be incorporated into the new law:

Each and every label, band, wrapper, show card or other lithographic print from stone, zinc, aluminum or other material, shall bear on the face of same, printed in legible letters, in English, the legend "Printed in ," the name of the country of origin to follow the words, "Printed in."

MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM.

Should the committe in its wisdom incorporate the principle of the "maximum and minimum tariff," we earnestly pray that the rates submitted in our brief of November 21, 1908, shall be adopted as the minimum rates, and that the maximum rates shall be 20 per cent in excess thereof on each and every item.

We attach hereto copy of our brief of November 21, also copy of the brief of the tariff committee of the National Association of Employing Lithographers, referred to.

Respectfully, yours,

THE FORBES LITHOGRAPH MANUFACTURING Co.
FRANK J. BLANEY.

CHARLES W. HARRISON, TRENTON, N. J., WRITES RELATIVE TO CERAMIC DECALCOMANIA TRANSFERS.

Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE,

TRENTON, N. J., December 3, 1908.

Chairman Ways and Means Committee,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SIR: Having been engaged in the importation and sale of decalcomania transfers for decorating china and earthenware for the last ten years, I beg leave to lay before you in a few words some facts connected with these goods. It appears to me that an attempt has been made to impress the committee of which you are the head with the importance of the domestic manufactures of the same by confusing them with general lithography.

The total amount of the ceramic transfers imported does not, as far as my information goes, exceed $400,000 per annum, and the value of those made in this country about $100,000.

These goods differ from general lithographic goods in that they are not in themselves a finished article or used as such, but are used solely in the decorating of crockery, and to a very small extent in decorating glass. Nearly all of the pottery ware made in this country is now decorated with these transfers.

Everyone who knows anything of the pottery industry in this country is alive to the fact that the American potters, who have already a hard struggle to hold their own, would find their difficulties vastly increased if their supply of imported decorations were shut off or even seriously restricted, and that they simply could not compete with the imported ware if forced to rely on the decorations of domestic manufacture.

The latter are, in fact, confined entirely, or almost entirely, to copies of the imported patterns. I can myself, if desired, lay before the committee of which you are the head a sheet produced by the factory in England whose goods I handle, and a sheet printed by a factory in this country, which is an exact copy of same and which is sold here at several cents a sheet less than the price at which I can sell the original, which makes it difficult to see upon what ground an appeal is made for further protection.

In view of all the facts, I beg, sir, to respectfully suggest that the interests of the pottery manufacturers demand that no further difliculties be placed in the way of their obtaining the best decorations that can be obtained, and that the least disturbance would be caused to this important industry by fixing the duty at the rate that was levied from 1897 until the early part of the present year, when by a decision, procured without the knowledge of myself and other importers and without our side of the question being heard, the goods were removed from clause 400, which imposed a specific duty of 20 cents per pound weight, to clause 398, which imposes an ad valorem duty of 20 per cent and 3 cents per pound weight. This duty we are now paying under protest, but I submit, sir, that in view of the peculiar nature of these goods and the difficulty of fixing upon each sheet an equitable valuation, that a specific duty is the most equitable and the most easily levied and the least easily evaded, and therefore the most desirable.

Since, however, it is notorious that the intention of the framers of the act of 1897 has been evaded and that large numbers of sheets have been imported at about a fourth of the duty which they should have paid by the simple expedient of stripping the sheets from the white backing on which they are printed, I submit, sir, that sheets which have been stripped from their backing should be subject to four times the amount of the specific duty levied on the complete or duplex sheets, which would result in all sheets of the same size paying the same rate of duty.

Trusting, sir, that the status of these goods may be defined in a way that will prevent a repetition of the uncertainty that has so hampered business in the past,

Yours, very respectfully,

CHAS. W. HARRISON.

THE ARMOR LITHOGRAPHING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PA., WRITES RELATIVE TO DECALCOMANIA TRANSFERS.

Hon. JOHN DALZELL, M. C.,

PITTSBURG, PA., December 10, 1908.

Member of Ways and Means Committee,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR SIR: We are interested in the revision of the present tariff law so far as it applies to lithographic decalcomania prints, for the reason that we do not consider it equitable, and because it is not properly classified, and in a number of cases it is very difficult for the officers of our Government to be able to clearly ascertain and determine with any degree of certainty as to what class the different articles and materials properly belong.

Decalcomania is a transfer printed on either simplex or duplex paper. It is then transferred from this paper to stone, china, pottery, and glass, furniture, machinery, etc., and consists of three distinct classes.

First. Cold decalcomania, wholly or partly covered by metal leaf. Second. Cold decalcomania, not covered by metal leaf.

Third. Ceramic decalcomania, printed in mineral colors for china and glass.

These three should be separated and treated separately in the tariff schedule for customs classification.

We are especially interested in the ceramic decalcomania prints, which under the present tariff law are imported into our country as surface-coated paper wholly or partly covered with metal or its solution, which under paragraph No. 398 is dutiable at rate of 3 cents per pound and 29 per cent ad valorem.

Duplex paper.- Ceramic decalcomania prints are all printed on duplex paper. This paper is composed of two sheets of paper. The coated sheet upon which the printing is done is a sheet of very thin tissue paper. The other sheet, or the back sheet, is much heavier paper and is only for service during the process of printing or lithographing on the thin tissue sheet, as the sheet of the heavy paper stiffens and strengthens the thin tissue sheet. The two sheets of paper are not placed together permanently, but can be easily separated after the printing is completed on the thin tissue sheet, after which it

is removed from the heavier sheet. The thin or tissue sheet is alone made use of in transferring the prints, the thinness of this paper permitting the design to readily conform itself to the shape of the article to be decorated.

By reason of the numerous patents and processes which are owned and controlled by the paper manufacturers of Europe, duplex paper has not and will never be successfully manufactured in this country; and since it is absolutely necessary to use duplex paper in the manufacture of ceramic decalcomania, we are compelled to import this paper from Europe and pay a duty of 35 per cent ad valorem upon the same.

We are also compelled to import nearly all the mineral colors which are used in the manufacture of ceramic decalcomania, and on these colors we are also obliged to pay a duty of 30 per cent ad valorem.

The mineral colors and the duplex paper are both manufactured in Germany, and the German manufacturer of decalcomania has therefore the advantage in purchasing both these materials in his home market, thus having no tariff duty or transportation charges to pay on the same.

The German manufacturers are our principal competitors, who, instead of shipping the decalcomania prints into this country as they are originally produced on duplex paper, separate the two sheets of paper, and while they retain the heavy or back sheet they only ship to this country the thin or tissue sheet upon which the metallic colors are printed. This thin or tissue sheet of paper approximately weighs only about 20 or 25 pounds per 1,000 sheets, whereas the duplex paper, including both the tissue sheet and the heavier back sheet, approximately weighs from 115 to 120 pounds for every 1,000 sheets; thus by stripping and separating the thin from the heavier sheet there is a direct saving on the duty alone that is paid by the German manufacturer on from 90 to 100 pounds on every 1,000 sheets.

It is a well-known fact that the German manufacturers of lithographic prints ship and export such prints into this country and sell them below the market price of this same class of prints in Germany, and in many cases invoice the same to their own branch offices and houses in this country at less than the market price in Germany.

Many of the designs and prints for ceramic decalcomania are originally made for use in the German market, and their surplus of same is shipped by them into this country.

It is a common practice that the cost and expense of designing and drawing on stone in Germany is not calculated and included in the cost of prints of those which are shipped into this country, the aforesaid cost only being calculated and added to the cost of such prints which are sold in Germany and other European markets.

The wages for labor paid by German manufacturers are very much lower than similar class of labor is paid for in this country, as the fol lowing comparison will show:

Lithographic artists in Germany get from 32 to 36 marks, or $8 to $9 per week.
Steam-press printers in Germany get from 20 to 32 marks, or $5 to $8 per week.
Press feeders (female) in Germany get from $3 to $4 per week.

Transfer printers in Germany get from 22 to 35 marks, or $5.50 to $8 per week.
Lithographic artists in this country get from $22 to $45 per week.
Steam-press printers in this country get from $22 to $35 per week.

Press feeders in this country get from $10 to $17 per week.
Transfer printers in this country get from $22 to $35 per week.

We would respectfully call your attention to a brief filed with your committee by a committee from the National Association of Employing Lithographers, which in a brief way makes a comparison between the American and European productions and the amendments to paragraphs 398 and 400 as suggested and recommended by them. which in our opinion would be equitable and proper for the protection of the decalcomania industry of this country.

In conclusion permit us to say that we have endeavored to make our explanation as brief and concise as possible, and hope it will materially aid and assist you in determining the fairness and equity of our claim and contention on the question of the revision of the present tariff law so far as it relates to "ceramic decalcomania."

Hoping you will give this matter your most thoughtful consideration, and after doing so that you may see your way clear to give the same your earnest support, we are, Yours, very respectfully,

ARMOR LITHOGRAPHING COMPANY (LIMITED),
JOHN WILHELM, Jr., Secretary and Treasurer.

STATEMENT MADE BY JAMES ARTMAN, MARKET AND FORTYNINTH STREETS, PHILADELPHIA, PA., RELATIVE TO COLORED VIEW POST CARDS.

THURSDAY, December 17, 1908.

(The witness was duly sworn by the chairman.)

The CHAIRMAN. This subject has been pretty well covered. Have you a brief or could you file a brief covering what you want to say? Mr. ARTMAN. No, sir; I haven't got any brief.

The CHAIRMAN. How much time do you want?

Mr. ARTMAN. Five minutes.

The CHAIRMAN. You may have five minutes.

Mr. ARTMAN. Mr. Rose spoke to you this morning on post cards. He represented the fancy post cards. We represent the colored-view post card.

I want to supplement what Mr. Rose said about post cards

The fact of the matter is that the colored view cards are pretty nearly all printed in Germany. In fact about 90 per cent of them are printed in Germany and of the 700,000,000 or 800,000,000 post cards that were imported in 1907, 75 per cent were colored view cards-about 600,000,000. That represents a business of about $15,000,000, and only about-well, I guess $1,000,000 worth of post cards are printed in this country.

We have been trying to get a foothold in that business for the last two years. Our experience has been that we can only sell to those people who can not wait for postal cards to come from Germany or do not know that they can get them cheaper from Germany.

The Germans can land post cards in this country for $9 per thousand, and in lots of 2,000 they can deliver them for $7.25, and in lots of 3,000 they can deliver them for $4.75, and in lots of 5,000 they can deliver them here for $3.50.

The lowest we can produce them for in this country is $18 for the first thousand, $10 for a 2.000 lot, $7 when they come in lots of 3,000, and $4.50 for 5,000 lots.