UNDER MCKINLEY BILL-Continued. FIRE BRICK-Continued, [Glazed, enameled, ornamented, or decorated, duty 45 per cent ad valorem.] [Not glazed, enameled, ornamented, painted, or decorated, duty 25 per cent ad valorem.] [Ornamented, glazed, painted, enameled, vitrified, or decorated, duty 45 per cent.] Assumed.-Deduct importation for 5 months 18 days 168 days, to equalize and make time same as old schedule, based on last year's importation under McKinley régime. Old schedule made for 2 years 3 months 6 days. McKinley schedule made for 2 years 8 months 24 days. DIFFERENCE: McKinley decrease, 2,698,752 bricks; increase in value, $84,651.66; increase in duty, $76,525.54 in favor McKinley rates. In presenting these figures for your consideration I wish to state that in doing so, it is in the interest of not only the firm of which I am a member, but acting for and in the interest of practically all the fire brick, building brick, and enameled brick manufacturers, who have formed an association largely for this very purpose, as they felt they were menaced by an industrial enemy of large proportions. I represent the National Association of Fire Brick Manufacturers, as chairman of its executive committee, and it is my desire to impress upon you that with one accord it is the wish of all its members that such consideration of our industry be taken by your committee as will recommend to the Senate and House of Representatives that legislation be enacted which will relieve our distress and put us back on good old McKinley specific rates, specific in all classes of our goods if possible. One word for the glazed and enameled brick industry, also covered by our association. This is a limited business in this country, for the reason it requires years of experience to properly test the clays used, to ascertain their adaptability to glazing processes, formulas for glazes, methods of firing, etc. This knowledge the foreigner has the advantage of possessing. Every item of the business is known to him to the minutest detail. These secrets, coupled with the cheap labor, the latter item entering as the largest factor into the manufacture of all clay goods, gives him an advantage over our partially unskilled manufacturers. I might liken it to the tin-plate industry, which, I think, got its stimulus in this country from 1890 to 1893. Low ad valorem duties would certainly preclude further development of the glazed brick industry, or at least would curtail efforts to push American manufacture. Much capital has been lost in endeavors to launch this business in this country, and much credit is due to certain persevering concerns here. Help this and you will have another large source of employment of American labor. These goods are higher cost and should bear a correspondingly high protection consistent with same. Rates of wages abroad may be of avail to you, and in conclusion I will therefore state that I have authority for saying that wages in England and Germany-two of the principal European brick-producing countries-amount to from 20 to 75 or 80 cents per day, while with us no boy receives less than 50 cents, and from that to $1.75 and $2, and in some classes of work even more, per diem. WILLIAM HOMES, Chairman Executive Committee National Association Fire Brick Manufacturers. STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE BRICK MANUFACTURERS. ALBANY, N. Y., January 6, 1897. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS: The National Association of Fire Brick Manufacturers of the United States desires to call your attention to the fact that under the so-called Wilson bill the specific duties on foreign fire brick were taken off and an ad valorem duty of 25 per cent substituted in place of the specific duty of $1.25 per ton imposed under the McKinley bill. The low prices of foreign wages and low freight make competition impossible. Every foreign fire brick imported into this country displaces the sale and use of the home product, to the injury of American industry. The best fire-brick material is found in nearly all of these United States, and in large quantities. At the present time the fire-brick industry is reduced to a very low point by reason of foreign competition. H. B. NEWTON, President. TILE. (Paragraph 78.) STATEMENT OF MR. F. W. WALKER, OF BEAVER FALLS, PA. FRIDAY, January 8, 1897. Mr. Walker said: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, in appearing before you to-day as a committee of the Wall and Floor Tile Manufacturers of the United States, we come to call your attention to what has in the past worked an injury to our business, and to present for your consideration a proposition which, we think, will correct the trouble. The paragraph of the law under which duties are now being levied under Schedule B reads as follows: Tiles, plain, not glazed, ornamented, painted, enameled, vitrified, or decorated, twenty-five per centum ad valorem; ornamented, glazed, painted, enameled, vitrified, or decorated, and encaustic, forty per centum ad valorem. We would ask to have the law changed so as to read as follows: Tiles, glazed or unglazed, encaustic, ceramic, mosaic, vitrified, flint, spar, embossed, enameled, or ornamental, and all other earthenware tile for floors and walls, ten cents per square foot, or four cents per pound. Tile, hand painted or gold decorated, twenty cents per square foot, or six cents per pound. Our reasons for asking for these changes are as follows: Many tiles upon which the duty should be levied at the 40 per cent rate are now being brought in under the 25 per cent classification. This we find an error that is very easily made on account of the difficulty an inexperienced person has in being able to determine the class to which the tiles belong. Another reason is the undervaluation of goods by falsifying invoices, which is done by billing first-quality tiles as second or third quality, making the price a very low one, and thus paying a duty on the false in place of the proper price. This is accomplished in different ways; one way being by sending a remittance or draft with the order for, say, one-half of the amount, and the tile being invoiced as seconds or thirds for the unpaid balance. And in order to make the tile appear as seconds or thirds, a certain quantity of poor-quality tile is placed in each cask with the good tile, and as it is impossible for the inspectors to examine each piece of tile, in this way tile are brought into the country at a price in many cases one-fourth their actual cost. In advocating a specific duty and placing all classes of tile, except hand-painted and gold-decorated, in one classification, it simplifies the law and takes away the opportunity of falsifying invoices. In asking for a duty by the pound, as well as by the square foot, to be specified, it is for the purpose of covering thin mosaic tiles, which are now imported by weight, and which amounts to the same duty as the rate specified by the square foot, and we would recommend that the net and gross weight, as well as the square feet, be plainly marked on all original packages. The weight proves the number of square feet contained in the package. In presenting this change for your consideration we admit it makes some slight changes from the present rate, in some cases making a lower and in one a higher duty, but upon the principal kinds of tile and those that are generally imported it makes practically no change, the only class that it advances a duty upon being unglazed tiles, which is the smaller portion of the tile imported. On the ornamental and embossed class it reduces the duty some, which will equalize the small advance on the unglazed class. Again, in advocating this change we do not lose track of the revenue to be collected, and can assure the committee that, while protecting our industry, it will at the same time realize more revenue to the Government, and simplifies the collection of duties and prevents fraudulent invoicing. The tile industry, as you are no doubt aware, is a comparatively new one in this country, and has been beset by many difficulties, but the manufacturers have persevered, and to-day the tiles being made in this country are equal to any made in any part of the world. The committee now before you have all been in the business almost from its beginning in the country, and have given the whole subject the most thorough investigation, and are unanimously of the opinion that if our request is granted it will not only place the industry on a better foundation, but will add to the revenues of the Government. F. W. WALKER. KARL LANGERBETH. ARTHUR D. FORST. The CHAIRMAN. What proportion of the consumption of tiles is now made in this country? Mr. WALKER. About 80 per cent. The CHAIRMAN. And there is no difficulty in making all we require practically; I mean except those that are imported as a matter of luxury? Mr. WALKER. We can make all and more. The present capacity of the factories is much more than the demand will be for the next two or three years. The CHAIRMAN. I suppose your idea is a certain proportion of tiles will always be imported by those who want a foreign article which they regard as a luxury, or something of that kind, and the revenue will come in that direction? Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir. Mr. DALZELL. But you are asking a new classification and specific duties? Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir. Mr. STEELE. It being impossible to collect the duties now imposed! Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir. Mr. PAYNE. Do you present any foreign prices with your request? Mr. WALKER. We do not, but we can. I have a memorandum here which I can give you. Mr. PAYNE. I wish you would. The CHAIRMAN. Do you give in your statement the items of the cost of production in this country and the cost abroad? Mr. WALKER. I can give the selling prices abroad. The CHAIRMAN. And the cost of production in this country by items? Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir. Mr. PAYNE. If you will file such a statement so it can be published with the hearing it will be sufficient for my purposes. Mr. WALKER. We can file that for you. The CHAIRMAN. File that with your hearing. We desire to know what is the cost of the different kinds of tiling at home and abroad. Mr. DOLLIVER. Where are these tiles mostly manufactured; in what part of the country? Mr. WALKER. In New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and in Kentucky. The CHAIRMAN. This industry has increased quite largely since 1890? Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Particularly between 1890 and 1893? Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir; almost doubled its capacity in that time. The CHAIRMAN. That is sufficient, unless there are further questions. Mr. STEELE. That statement you will file between now and Monday? Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir; we will do so. Mr. PAYNE. So it can be published right alongside your statement? Mr. WALKER. We will file it between now and Monday. ADDITIONAL STATEMENT FILED BY MR. WALKER. In response to the request made by your committee to supplement the statement made by the tile manufacturers of the country, with information as to the comparative cost of production of tile in this country and abroad, we beg to offer the following: The raw materials entering into our manufacture-clays, minerals, and coal-are comparatively cheap in all parts of the world. The value of the products lies mainly in the labor directly involved in the production from them. This labor in all our factories is fully 75 per cent of the cost of the product. The price we are compelled to pay for labor in this country is, according to information personally collected by several members of our body abroad, as three to one. Therefore, in a dollar's worth of our product there is less than 25 cents for material and fully 75 cents for labor directly expended, and as the latter is not over 25 cents abroad it costs them but 50 cents to produce that which our labor makes cost a dollar. For this reason the duty on the highest-scheduled products of the present tariff-namely, 40 per cent is very moderate, and the specific duty that we ask runs on the totality of tile imported below that which in an honest and fair levy would be secured to the Government by the present rating. F. W. WALKER. STATEMENT SUBMITTED BY TRAITEL BROTHERS & CO., OF NEW YORK. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS: NEW YORK, January 9, 1897. We note in the newspaper reports under the head "Want tariff on tiles" that the Ways and Means Committee has been hearing the plaints of the manufacturers for more duties. "Mr. F. W. Walker, of Beaver Falls, Pa., in asking for a reclassification and specific duties, recommends that all tiles now paying 20 per cent ad valorem, 10 cents |