dare maintain the law as it stands. The new Republican House already has passed the Longworth dyestuffs bill, as it is popularly called, and this measure embodies protective duties which are admittedly ample for their purpose. But even these can be evaded through German intrigue, if the Treasury Department is not armed to meet the plots, and it is this equipment which the anti-dumping bill aims to provide. Thus the Secretary of the Treasury is empowered by the bill to levy the "special duty" provided for against "merchandise imported into the United States of a class or kind identical to or comparable with a class or kind made or produced in the United States, or of a kind sold in competition with articles made or produced in the United States," said class to be determined and promulgated by the Secretary. This ensures, of course, that the United States shall be able to import non-competitive goods at the lowest possible rates.

The bill aims to penalize to the full amount of the difference between certain valuations goods entering the United States at less than the cost of production or less than the fair market value at home, or at which they are being sold to other countries than the United States; this price to be compared with the "sales price," which is defined by the bill as "the price plus the cost of the package and the packing charged at which the person in the foreign country or his agent sells the merchandise to the person in the United States or his agent; provided, that the person in

the United States has no financial or other interest in the business of the person in the country of exportation shipping or selling the merchandise to the United States." In the latter case, covered by the proviso, the appraiser is directed to obtain from the importer his sale price in the United States and compare it with the price. he has paid abroad and report to the collector as the sales price the lower of the two. For goods on consignment the sales price is the price at which the goods are sold in this country. In all cases of prices the cost of package and packing is added and the expense of transportation to this country is deducted. The foreigr. home value is to be taken at the date of sale or purchase or, in the case of consignment goods, the date of exportation to the United States.

NUB OF THE FORDNEY BILL. With these definitions in mind-the other phrases relating to prices explain themselves—we get down to the nub of the whole bill, found in Section 9. It is very brief, and provides merely that

Whenever merchandise is exported to the United States of the class or kind provided for in this Act, and the sales price is less than the foreign home value, or in the absence of such value is less than the value to countries other than the United States, or in the absence of such value is less than the cost of production, there shall be levied and collected, in addition to the duties on imported merchandise prescribed. by existing laws, a special duty in an amount equal to the difference between the sales price and the foreign home value or the value to countries other than the United

States or the cost of production, as the case may be.

SELLER AND IMPORTER ALIKE LIABLE.

The bill makes it incumbent upon the importer to "secure permission." for a duly accredited officer of the United States to inspect all books and documents relating to a transactionpresumably including such documents abroad-on pain of being prohibited from making future importations; and the prohibition applies also to the person failing or refusing to produce the documents. Thus the foreign manufacturer or seller and the importer or domestic agent alike must cease doing business with the United States or its custom houses if facts and figures necessary to the ascertainment of true valuations are withheld. The bill makes provision for the use of the Board of General Appraisers and its members in the administration of the act and for reasonable notice of hearings to all parties concerned. HEAVY FINES AND IMPRISONMENT FOR FRAUD.

The punitive section of the bill (Section 20) is as follows:

That if any person engaged in the importation of merchandise into the United States shall give or receive a rebate or concession from the sale price, whereby the United States shall be deprived of the lawful duties or any portion thereof accruing upon the merchandise, or any portion thereof, without notifying the collector of such rebate or concession from the sales price, either at time of entry or afterwards, or shall fail or refuse to submit to the inspection by a duly accredited officer of the United States, when so requested to do, any or all of his books, records, or accounts pertaining to said merchandise, he shall upon con

viction be fined for each offense a sum not exceeding $5000, or be imprisoned for a time not exceeding two years, or both, in the discretion of the court.

ATTEMPTS AT EVASION PENALIZED.

The penalty herein imposed, it will be noticed, is directed against attempts to evade the law, not undervaluations. These may be adjusted on payment of the regular and special duties, but the person who neglects to notify the collector of irregular valuations or who withholds or refuses information faces heavy fine and imprisonment. It is upon this feature of the bill that much stress is laid as to its effectiveness, for it is realized that many innocent mistakes may be made, along with some intentional ones, and that the main purpose of the legislation is to ensure that no imported goods of a certain class enter the country on a false basis.

With this result accomplished, there will be less need, if any at all, of a restrictive licensing system-a device which never would have been considered a moment by Congress except for the unprecedented situation arising from the inability of some users of dyes to obtain what they want or need at present in this country. The dyestuffs bill went to the Senate with the licensing feature retained, but the Tariff Commission substituted as a licensing board for the board provided for originally, to be drawn from representatives of the dye industry, the users of dyes and others. This is an improvement, the point of view of the opponents of any licensing system, but it suggests a dangerous and perhaps unwarrant

able use of the Tariff Commission, whose existence is likely to be imperilled by controversy.

WARTIME CHANGES IN

WAGES.

SEPTEMBER 1914—MARCH, 1919. Average wages of men in eight leading industries, as measured by average hourly earnings, increased all the way from 74 per cent to 112 per cent during the period from September, 1914, to March, 1919, according to a report on "Wartime Changes in Wages" issued by the National Industrial Conference Board. Increases in weekly earnings of men ranged from 62 per cent to 110 per cent. Percentage increases in earnings of female workers were broadly similar in the respective industries, with, however, a somewhat wider range.

The eight industries included were metal, cotton, wool, silk, boot and shoe, paper, rubber and chemical manufacturing. The average results are based on payroll data for one week, usually the third week of September, for the years 1914 to 1918, and for the first week of March, 1919. A noteworthy feature of the results is that the highest percentage increases in earnings often were corded in cases where the absolute earnings were relatively low, or vice versa. Thus hourly earnings of male workers in cotton manufacturing increased over 100 per cent as against

re

.ease of about 70 per cent for male workers in the metal manufac

turing industries. Actual hourly earnings of the latter, however, were 50.2 cents in March, 1919, as com

pared with 38.9 cents for male cotton operatives. In the case of male workers in the rubber manufacturing industry, a high actual hourly average was accompanied by a high percentage rate of increase.

The averages shown were in most cases greater than the corresponding percentage increase in cost of living, which was placed by a previous report of the Board at 61.3 per cent for the period from July, 1914, to March, 1919. “This fact indicates," says the report, "that these workers were in general able to maintain and even to improve their standard of living prevailing in 1914." The report emphasizes, however, that "comparisons of relative values afford no means whereby the adequacy of wages or living standards prevailing in either period can be determined. The comparisons simply afford an approximate idea of the extent to which the relationship between wages and living costs existing at the opening of the war was maintained or changed during the succeeding 4 1-2 years.” The report does not purport to discuss the question whether or to what extent wages should vary with changes in the cost of living.

Actual earnings of men were consistently greater than those of women. The report points out, however, that this fact does not afford conclusive evidence as to how far the principle of "equal pay for equal work" was applied, since the tasks at which men and women were engaged in any given industry, while often broadly similar, were not, necessarily identical.

Percentages of increase in hourly earnings of female workers were highest in the metal and cotton manufacturing industries, and smallest in the boot and shoe and rubber industries. The difference is largely due to variations in the actual hourly earnings in 1914; the averages for females in the various industries in 1919 showed approximate uniformity.

The most pronounced increases in weekly earnings of males up to September, 1918, were recorded in the chemical, metal, rubber, cotton and wool manufacturing industries. In the three latter groups however, there was a sharp falling off on weekly earnings during the period from September, 1918, to March, 1919. This was due to a reduction in the number of hours worked, which in turn was partly due to the disorgani zation attending the readjustment from a wartime to a peacetime basis, and partly to a shortening of weekly work schedules in these industries. Earnings of female workers in the cotton and wool manufacturing groups showed an even more pronounced falling off during the six months period.

The highest average of hourly earnings of males for any of the eight industries was 61.2 cents, in rubber manufacturing; the lowest 38.9 cents, in cotton manufacturing. The corresponding averages in 1914 were 28.8 cents and 18.9 cents, respectively Average hourly earnings of male workers in the metal trades were 502 cents in March, 1919, against 28.9 cents in September, 1914. The highest hourly average for women in

1919 was 32.8 cents, in wool manufacturing; the lowest 29.2 cents, in rubber manufacturing. The corresponding 1914 averages were 16.7 cents and 17.4 cents.

The highest average of weekly earnings of males for any industry in March, 1919, was $29.35, in rubber manufacturing; the lowest $17.10. in cotton manufacturing. The corresponding weekly averages in 1914 were $14.00 and $10.00, respectively. The September, 1918, average for male cotton-mill operatives was $20.60.

In the case of female workers, the highest average weekly earnings were $15.10, in silk manufacturing; the lowest $12.24, in the paper industry. In 1914 the corresponding averages were $7.49 and $7.47, respectively.

In addition to the data for entire industries the report also presents averages for 63 occupational groups of male workers, and for 30 groups of female workers in these industries. In nine occupational groups average hourly earnings of males in March, 1919, range between 60 cents and 69 cents; in nine others they were less than 38 cents. Two groups of female workers showed hourly earnings of more than 40 cents in March, 1919; for three other groups the average was under 25 cents.

There was a consistent increase in the number of women employed in the various industries during the entire 4 1-2-year period. The number of men increased in most cases up to September, 1918, but frequently fell off sharply during the ensuing six months.

Owing to the fact that conditions

Alexander McCallum, late president of the McCallum Hosiery Co. of Northampton, Mass., died at Albany on Oct. 3. A widow and one son, George B. McCallum, treasurer of the hosiery company, survive.

Mr. McCallum was born in Lancaster, Canada, in 1844, the son of John and Susan McCallum. His early life was spent on the farm. When 22 years old he went to Northamp ton and became identified with the dry goods business. Later he established a small manufacturing plant in Holyoke which was subsequently moved to Northampton. It has developed from year to year until it is now the largest establishment of its kind in the country.

In developing the McCallum Hosiery Co., Mr. McCallum has shown. wonderful shrewdness. His workmen were the best and good wages were the rule. Mr. McCallum was a generous giver. He gave more than half the cost of a new hospital, $1000 a month to the war chest and numerous other interests for betterment, and for many years contributed to the support of the Home Market Club.