Domestic ond lmport Plywood Interests Point The Finger qt Eoch Other Before congress

Wbuld filt

1,OOO,OOO li. S. iobs

Washington, D. C.-President Eisenhower's tecommen. A warning^that a,high-tariff "protectionist" policy would fi,tl:,t *:t",.^.:g:_trade legislation were c.hallenged March destroy i,odo^ooo t.s. ;ou, within five years was given 14 by two leaders of the hardwood !_lrwood industry to Congress during heaiings on the Aa-"i"irtrutio"'r-f-- testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee. posal tJ renew thE Reciprocal Trade program.

Marion C' Mclver' chairman of the Hardwood P^lyyoo_d - In contrast to the ,usual high-tariff plea that ,.cheap Manufacturers Committee and president of the Sirri."a- foreign imports" are throwing Americans out of work, a wood Corporation 9f- M^ell9n- Wisconsin, in a statement trade.expert told the House iv"y;;;eMeans Committee presented jointlv with Carl D. Wheeler,' man€g'er- of _the 11r_1t i.1i..t" ;;;;; many more jobs than they threaten. hardwood plywood division of the Georgia-Picifio Cor- what's ^;.;;, h;;;inted out, imports create not only more poration at Savannah, Georgia, said: ^,-_W: finq il impossible to believe the Administration's ports or engage in export trade are usually'high-wage otten repeated statements that injury to domestic industry companies, while the industries worried by import-.otrpiYt]l i.t be permitted.under the operation of tne frad'e tition are almost invariably f"*-*ug.-i"alrtil6.. Agreements Act. The hardwood plywood industry, a ser- __f!. warning was delivered by-W-. J. Barnhard, a ::::tf j,ll_tred, industry, is .being bffered ..

Washington .itotr,.y whose i.*' ni*, Sfrrrp & B;A; prlnclpally to-l-apan, on this idealistic altar of international represents a variety of importing companies and trade"as- trade." Mr' Mclver told the Committee that "it ;s trigi; sociations. The loss of jobs, hE saidl would result from :T:r,,^1"! Cot9.t".;t asserts itself and unscrambles tie a loss of our. export markets and a reduction in oni i-po.i- muddled mess of the Trade Agreements Program." processing industries, coupled with the creation of the , The two ..spokesmen traced their industry's .,serious European C-ommon Nlarkel and the spread of the Soviet damage" to "heavily- increasing imports of cheJp-hard;;; economic offensive. plyryogd.:'Mr. Mclvet.uiaift.'""*ner of man hours Pointing out that-impor-t restrictions on building yl.tlgg in his plant slumped from 374,103 i"-igsi-i" materials, such as plywood, hardboard, pipe fittingi 274,327 in 7957 -and employment has-aropp"a fr.*-fSl and brass tubing, would_raise building coiti and this workers in 1955 to only-100 at the present time. reduce housing-starts, Mr. Barnhard itated that "you Mclver singled out hardwood plywood imports rrom ffiffiT!ff:l. X.$lr"r"X}:Hj"l"iT";**njr#:r"r1 ffi.::rlii.ll'J,'#i1.r'"ffii;irlii,i":m':',',i*u** an-houi job in *" r,"1."r"f;ilry":'

States consumptio" 1of nard*obi p'lywood) skyrocketed ,.- ti_"99jlt3l' l" stated, protection -of. a .low-wage job r_rom r/a in resr to 42/. ;i tgsi:; tii'."ia. ti,. .ir".iiy-"i ijl*f_i"'Srj""T ilTl"."r-",11'"?::?",',Hl?|J",0ff:',:f.; Japan's plywood indusiry has increaseJ "beyond'tt"ti'n''; ovirseas-cinnot buy our goods unress they earn doilars "ff our request for relief is denied," he .warned, ,,the ;; -pilj;;il;;."-flood gates will be open and.the deluge "f th;;p p#*;J ^ The.testimony,was presented as the ways and Means from Japan will drown our -industry "and ...iori.ty "i"jli" Com*itt.e ;-.";gli to i close its second week of hearings other industries making building riraterials"' J r-on extension of-theT.eciprocal rrade Act, which expires ",3.b:r,:::_:11^.^tt^k:._-il'_

Y.. w.heeler, explained why on June_so, iqs8. -Threi -oi. *."ts of'hearing; ;;;; nrs rnoustry needs an lmport quota rather than a tariff scheduled, with a total of over 200 witnesses ap:pearing boost. He called the Committie's attention to the fact before tft. t.iif-*riting Co*r"itt.". that the averag'e p.rice of plywood imports from countries The majoi .ontrorr.r.y in the tarifi fight is over the other than Tapan is almost twice the^Japanese_p.rice. He "escape cia,r.e,'; *tri.rr p".Lit"- UlS.--i"dustries to seek observed' "ih. sales.price "f j;p";;t"'piywood'is r. ro", restoiation of 'a reduced'tariff if -increasing imports .are that even with an increase in -the duiy rate ."f _\9%, :Susing^serious injury to the domestic indus-try. 1.n. US. Japanese plywood would. remain competitive in the United Tariff -Commissioir ih.,restigat.t "ry ..mplaint under the States market. But such an increase or any__substantiai "escape cf"".e;'-;"d mak"es its rircommendation to the increase in duty would virtually eliminate ill countries Presifent, *no n"r tfre final decision.

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