Men's Sewed Straw Hats

This is a Government publication that examines what was a very important subject at the time. The President was James Coolidge who took the matter seriously, and in his concluding statement raised the duty Tariff. A gentleman's straw hat was an essential part of a man's wardrobe and several million were made in American factories. They were of varying quality, the best of which were hand sewed. Infiltration of the domestic market by foreign-made hats caused the controversy that this document refers to.