Mr. Snyder: this might be old hat to you.
Tarrif Hearings –1893 -
http://books.google.com/books?id=D9cuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA424&dq=ithaca+gun+imported+steel&lr=“Ithaca Gun Company,
Ithaca, N.Y., September 14, 1893.
Sir: We desire to call your attention to a comparatively new industry in this country, that of the manufacture of sporting shotguns.
This industry is peculiar in that so large a part of the cost of the article is represented by labor, about 60 per cent being for labor per-formed in the factory and about 25 per cent for labor upon material and supplies made in our own country and used in the industry. (Gun barrels in the rough, not being made in this country, are imported duty free.)
A number of large factories are already running in this country, two more just starting, all of whom are obliged to employ the best skilled labor at great expense. These industries would be destroyed if the tariff was reduced, and we pray, therefore, that it may be left as it is, since it is now much less than the difference in the price of labor here and other countries from which sporting guns are imported.
Yours, truly,
Ithaca Gun Company”
February 12th, 1914 – I’m curious if they are referring to Schoverling, Daly & Gales?
“Statement of Mr. Thomas Hunter, of Fulton, N.Y., Rep-resenting the Hunter Arms Co. and Others.”
“The reason that was gone into so minutely in the old bill was that the foreigner shipped gun barrels into New York, partly finished gun stocks into Boston, and locks into Philadelphia and brought them together and assembled them here and avoided the specific duty. That is why the matter was covered so minutely in the last bill.”
http://books.google.com/books?id=QDkvAAA...barrels&lr=There must have been a good bit of friction between Daly, and others who imported components, and Ithaca and the gang. Congress was considering lowering the duty to “one-third”.
“For the past year the foreign competition has been greater, as they have taken stocks from the barrels, which ca be done as easily as a man can take off his coat, and by packing the barrels in one box and guns in the other have passed them as parts, thus avoiding the specific duty.”
http://books.google.com/books?id=ulArAAA...barrels&lr= Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
