portant trade considerations. In this surely the tanners and shoemakers ought to concur. Respectfully submitted. S. H. COWAN. HON. F. E. WARREN, SENATOR, FILES PROTEST OF WYOMING CATTLE RAISERS RELATIVE TO HIDES AND CATTLE. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, WASHINGTON, November 29, 1908. Chairman Ways and Means Committee, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SIR: I transmit herewith, for the consideration of your committee in connection with the proposed new tariff bill, letter from Mr. J. C. Underwood, secretary of the Laramie County (Wyo.) Cattle and Horse Growers' Association, protesting against the reduction or removal of the duty on hides and the duty on Mexican and Canadian cattle imported into the United States. F. E. WARREN. Very truly, yours, Senator F. E. WARREN. UNDERWOOD, Wyo., November 25, 1908. Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SENATOR: In relation to the move of the leather interests to take the duty off hides and to admit Mexican and Canadian cattle. free to the United States: We hope that you will use every effort at your command to head this off. While the contention of the manufacturers is probably true that hides are higher than ever before, still, if the duty is taken off. the packers will surely cut us on the price of cattle. At the present time the packers in buying cattle figure the value of a hide at from $10 to $16 each, according to the size of the animal. If an immense amount of Mexican and South American hides are rushed in here, it will surely mean a reduction on the hide end of our cattle of $5 to $8 each. With the free importation of Mexican cattle, which can be bought for about $5 of American money, it would mean the flooding of our public ranges with thousands of these cattle, thereby destroy: ing the grazing value of our ranges to such an extent that probably the supply would be rendered much smaller than now. Again, the far southern cattle, being so much smaller than our natives, it would take at least three hides to meet one of ours, to say nothing of the quality of the hides. It appears to us that if the Congress and country at large would do something to protect the way we have to do business, we could certainly increase the amount of hides now sold. Furthermore, we have no guarantee from the leather interests that in the event of their securing free duty on hides that the price of leather or shoes will be materially reduced. From the fact that they are generally conceded to be in a trust, it is more than likely that the retail price of leather products would remain on about the same basis as the retail products of slaughterhouses. At the present time the price obtained by us for the sale of cattle on the foot is only about what we can produce them for. The conditions of our ranges at the present time makes the production of cattle a very unsatisfactory business. We were under the impression that the oral hearing on the cattle schedule would not occur until December 2, but we were informed last Friday that it occurred that day, but that briefs could be filed up to December 4. Mr. Murdo Mackenzie and Mr. S. H. Cowan are now on the way or in Washington, and will take this matter up as representatives of the national association; but in the meantime the members of our association hope that you will use every effort to hold the present duty on hides and to stop the free importation of Mexican and Canadian cattle. Very truly. J. C. UNDERWOOD, Secretary. THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE BOARD OF TRADE CHARACTERIZES DUTY ON HIDES AS BURDENSOME. BOSTON, December 10, 1908. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, Chairman Committee on Ways and Means. DEAR SIR: At a meeting of the executive council of the Massachusetts State Board of Trade, held November 24, the following resolution was passed: Resolved, That the executive council of the State Board of Trade reaffirms its previously expressed opinion that the 15 per cent duty on hides is burdensome and unjust to our boot and shoe manufacturers, and should be removed. Very truly, yours, RICHARD L. GAY, Secretary. THE CINCINNATI SHOE MEN'S ASSOCIATION ASKS THAT HIDES AND SKINS BE PUT ON FREE LIST. CINCINNATI, OHIO, December 9, 1908. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, Washington, D. C. GENTLEMEN: At our regular monthly meeting held to-day it was decided to appeal to your honorable committee that in the adjustment of the new tariff schedule to place hides and skins on the free list. The duty on hides and skins, as at present in operation, seems merely to protect only the large packing corporations and the hide speculator, against the interests of the consumer, manufacturer, and retailer. We feel that by the continuation of the duty on hides and skins, it in no way benefits the stock raiser, nor does it help to stimulate the leather market, except to the interests of the few against the masses as a whole. The domestic supply of hides and skins is inadequate to the demand, thus the price on the finished leather is controlled by a few combinations, who have advanced prices to such an extent that it is hard to furnish the average wage-earner foot wear consistant with his salary. By abolishing the duty on hides and skins, we feel that it will enable us to give the consumer a more staple class of footwear and at the same time help our shoe manufacturers of this country, who at present outclass any foreign market as to style and general appearance, by adding to their product a more substantial quality, which under existing conditions it has been and is hard to obtain. Trusting your honorable committee will give this their consideration, I remain, Yours, very truly, ROBT. BRINKMAN. President Cincinnati Retail Shoe Men's Association, COL. ALBERT CLARKE, OF BOSTON, FILES SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT RELATIVE TO HIDES. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, DECEMBER 7, 1908. Chairman Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D. C. SIR: As I promised, in reply to questions by Mr. Calderhead on page 3638 of Tariff Hearings, I submit the following information: [From Bureau of Statistics, Department of Commerce and Labor.| Imports during fiscal year 1908: Hides of cattle. Same from Cuba. Hides of buffalo.. Imports during fiscal year 1904 Domestic product (923 establishments). Pounds. S8, 807, 751 1.479, 229 5,658, 907 300, 825, 242 456. 443, 857 This latter is from the 1905 census, and covers only the product of packing and slaughter houses. There is, of course, a considerable product from small establishments and from farms, in addition to this. Bulletin 55 of the United States Department of Agriculture for the year 1907, page 99, gives the domestic production of the hides of cattle (not including the live cattle exported) at 12,738,000. It gives the imports as 3.130,000, making a total of hides 15,868,000. There was a reexport of 130.000 hides and skins, but the proportions of each are not stated. Deducting the whole, however, there was left for domestic consumption 15,738,000. The percentage of the import to the domestic consumption (the quantity tanned) was 19.72, or, for ease in stating, practically 20 per cent. Inclosed is page 2198 from the Foreign Commerce of the United States for the fiscal year 1908, showing the quantities of hides of cattle imported the last three years and from what countries. Very truly, yours, ALBERT CLARKE, THE TRUNK MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION, ROCHESTER, N. Y., WRITES, ADVOCATING FREE HIDES. ROCHESTER, N. Y., November 27, 1908. COMMITTEE OF WAYS AND MEANS, Washington, D. C. . GENTLEMEN: For years previous to the enactment of the Dingley tariff law heavy hides were admitted free of duty, and that measure, as originally passed by the House of Representatives, did not place them on the dutiable list. The cattle industry flourished before the imposition of this duty, and inasmuch as cattle are not raised for their hides, it is the belief of the Trunk Manufacturers' Association of the United States that the removal of the tariff on this product would not harm the producer and would benefit materially all manufacturers using heavy leather. Moreover, believing that the present duty enables a few large corporations to control the hide market, exerting a baneful influence upon all manufacturers using that raw material or its products, we respectfully request that you restore hides to the free list. Yours, respectfully, TRUNK MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION By WM. L. LIKEY, President. [Telegram.] ST. LOUIS FURNITURE BOARD OF TRADE ASKS ABOLITION OF Mr. WILLIAM PAYNE, DUTY ON HIDES. ST. LOUIS, Mo., November 27, 1908. Secretary Ways and Means Committee, Washington, D. C. At a special meeting held this day, our board unanimously adopted the request that the honorable Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives urge upon Congress that the duty on hides be abolished. FURNITURE BOARD OF TRADE. WILLIAM FLACCUS OAK LEATHER COMPANY, PITTSBURG, PA., SUBMITS REASONS FOR FREE HIDES. Hon. SERENO E. PAYNE, PITTSBURG, PA., November 28, 1908. Chairman Ways and Means Committee, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: As the tariff hearings affecting the removal of the duty on hides will be heard in the next few days before your committee, we submit to you the following reasons for free hides: We as tanners and manufacturers of leather are not asking for any special privilege. We simply ask you for the righting of a wrong put upon our industry in 1897. Hides never were a political issue. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are on record as favoring the tax. The Dingley bill, passed by the House in 1897, kept them free. Without giving the leather and tanning industries ample opportunity to present their cause, the Senate imposed the tax. Ever since our industry has been forced to carry this unjust burden, and we, who have been engaged in the tanning of leather for years, have been forced to realize the enormous disadvantage accruing to us. Retarded development and growth and minimized profits have been the results. Prior to 1897 hides were free except during short intervals when the Government found itself in need of revenue. Even then the tax was never more than 10 per cent, and always applicable to hides and skins of all description. What revenue the Government did derive has always been negligable. The demand for the leather is increasing faster than the supplies of raw material. The vast regions of the West and Southwest, once the range of thousands of cattle, are being opened to the settler. Cattle in the United States are decreasing, while the population, and with it the demand for leather, increases with tremendous bounds. This is true of every civilized country in the world. The manufacturing nations have realized this truth and, with the single exception of the people of the United States, admit hides as the raw material of the tanning industry free of duty. Every inhabitant, without exception, is a consumer of leather. Neither farmer nor laborer derives benefit from the duty. The only advantages that accrue go to the packers, and they and no others are the real beneficiaries. This fact explains the gradual monopolization of the tanning industry by the big packers. Hides should be free of duty because free raw material is vital to the expansion and growth of the leather trades. Free hides give wider employment to labor by reason of resulting expansion of the industry. Instead of importing finished products, as we must, we should import the hides and allow our own labor to convert it into the finished article. Farmers are not benefited by the duty. the heaviest of the consumers of leather, burden will eventually rest. They are, instead, among and on the consumer the |