National Affairs: Tariff v. Women

A plump, chipper representative is Mrs. Teresa Norton of New Jersey. She has been speaking her mind about tariff for women—especially the proposed Smoot-Hawley tariff. She said that it would mean that women whose clothes are already too costly for their purses would have to pay 10% to 75% more for "everything that goes to make a woman comfortable."

She itemized:

"Silk is no longer the exclusive fabric of rich women. Working women use it extensively."

"Fine toilet soap is something every woman appreciates. It is not considered a luxury."

"Shoes are a necessity and women everywhere are paying high prices for their shoes." (Tariff increase 20%.)

"It is a well known fact that women of refinement, in whatever financial condition they may be, value the perfumes that come from France."

"The appearance a woman presents has much to do with securing employment and with an increased tariff on everything she wears, it is going to be very difficult for her to maintain herself."

This was a little more than the staid senator from the Mormon state could bear. He roused himself, shook his sedate head, retorted:

"A tariff of 20% on imported shoes will not raise the price of American shoes appreciably, but it will keep employed the thousands of American women in American shoe factories.

"Mrs. Norton is simply repeating the false tale told by the Democrats for many years.

"If Mrs. Norton will consult the thousands of women employed in the mills, shops and establishments of New Jersey and New York, she will find that she is betraying their interests."

If Senator Smoot believed that he had spoken the last word he was mistaken. Mrs. Norton had at least three more words and she said them:

1) "Senator Smoot must consider the women of the country devoid of intelligence when he asks them to believe that a tariff bill which increases the price of practically everything we eat and wear will not increase the cost to the consumer."

2) "Paid lobbyists are not my friends and advisers in my work in Congress. Can Senator Smoot say as much?"

3) "There is neither logic nor truth in the senator's naive contention."

"What is a working girl's budget? How can the tariff affect her?" demanded people with appetites for brass tacks. Working girls' budgets are commonly prepared by those who do not have to live on them. Mrs. Norton's district (the 12th New Jersey) is in Hudson County opposite Manhattan. The following budget is not tariff-maker theory but an average struck among the actual budgets of a number of girls earning $25 per week in a metropolitan area:

Room...$7

Food & carfare...13

Clothes, etc....5

Although food and rent costs may be affected by the tariff on sugar, brick, cement, etc., the last item would be the one principally affected. That $5 a week ($260 per year) is divided as follows:

Shoes (3 pr.).. $30

Coat... 35

Hats (3)... 15

Dresses (several silk)... 75

Lingerie... 30

Stockings (12 pr.)... 20

Laundry & cleaning... 15

Toilet articles.. 25

Extra & emergency.. 15