Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-11-27

l. rms iron, worth fl los. at the works in En-
iahu' would cost in New York, duties al
ehsrses lacluded, at eas, ! so per ton. or NOR
PROBABLY So3 price at which good rail 70;
iron can DC made in this Country, with lib.:
y margin for profit 49,
Iheie IS no doubt that The Tariff of 1870 W
very convenient one for iron masters. "a il en-
oiou 'hem 10 fleece the consumers almos, Al nile
sure. Win such Tariff any body could q
INTO me iron business and be sure 10 m ke m,
ney' however improvidenly and unskiiulIy h
WORKS might be conducted. The Tariff OF Ia
~ ieoucing the protec ion to 80 per CEN
ofoogn' number OF such establishments 10 thei
ni W ornes, and laugh. others The nccsssi,
~ uepehdihg' Tor their prof 8, upon their ow
'' economy ana skill, instead OF The for
meu an attitude where il is 10 greet messur
independent Of Tariff. People do not now es
tabiish iron foundrles where there is neither or
nor fuel ror any other facility for the bust
ness for they know that works so situated ca,
only 6e Conducted al loss. On The other ha nd
where ore ami tuel are in juY!aposi,ion, add ;
reasonable amount OF skill, industry and econo
my, are applied, The business is profitable, not
whhsIanGins Tue comparatively moderate prolec
| lion a1orced Some establishments have ever
mad Inc impotence 10 export iron 10 Ens,and-Al
Instance oi The kind was recently ch!cn;cied by th
Philadelphia North American, Gan ultra TART
papc') which stated that among the exports from
thai CT by The packet ship Europa, was con
! siderable quantity CT fnraitu:e, and tan invoice
Of Cumberland cut nails, an enlirrly new article
Of export in tlaI direction" Ia regard 10 the Ell,
teci n The lxo Tariffs respectively upon the iron
lnicTess OF Western Pennsy lvania, the Holidays
blrg (Pa.) Standard contains the following sen.
sibt remarks, which are said 10 have cmanatec
| from well informed iron touDter.
"The iron masters OF Western Pennsylvania who
made II convenient to hold convention al Pins.
burg during The visit o. Gen. TaylAr 10 lha,
| city, waited on him in body, represented their
| grievances, and drew from him il We may cred
u The papers, very different opinion on The tar
| III question ifom that expr, ssed by him al Bed
iorc. In the manifesto published by this con-
yeniion, they assert
Tina, during the years 1912 to 1886, seventy
hVc new furnaces were erected in The counties
We represent; that since 1886 there have been
but three new furnaces built"
I'VE have no means just now Of knowing
how many counties these oppressed gentlemen
represented; but we do know that they were con.
fined 10 counties in Western Pennsylvania
They complain that whereas in The tour years
intervening from 1912 10 ls46 seventy>fve new
furnaces were erected but three have been ercc-
Ted in The three years from 1916 10 ls49. Is il
reasonable 10 suppose that the increase Of fur.
naces al The rate OF eighteen and a half year
more Than one new furnace every three weeks,
could be maintained without, Of itself, running
The business from excess Q. competition and over
pfo.uc'ian Is j. no! more wonderful that any
new furnaces were built alter The vast access
sicn in four years, than that nn!y thee were
bui' And does il not argue tina, the tariff oil
1916 could not have ruined me business, when
IN the lace OF This vast enlargement, apiia lists
were found willing 10 erect three new furnaces
under its auspiccs7
"S:ssnty flee nsw furnaces II they were
wor'h anything, lhsy would average fi:y ions
each OF pig metal per week, or allowing for Stops
pages, 10000 tons per year-siying Tor The four
years an addition 10 the production Of pig metal
10 Western Pennsylvania alone OF 700 900 tons.
Where has been the increase Of demand 10 Jus.
Ily this vast increaze of supply without reduc>
ton OF prices land by what process OF reason
- : - supposed -. -
ply could have gone on, as The iroD>maseIs ap>
pear TO think il should, until il doubled that
amount aud gave Tor 1919 an Increased produc.
ton OF near million aad halt OF IONS, without
utterly prcslraliDg The iron business1
The advantages, real or imaginary, afforded
10 The iron business by the tariff of 1892 have
led to the investment in that business OF large
amounts OF capital attracted IRON less lucrative
business, and The erection OF seventy-lve new
furnaces in four years in Western Pennsylvania
alone. And il We are not misinformed, many
OF these furnaces would not have brcn erected
where they were erected and under The circum,
stances, but Tor The forcing process OF high
protective tariff. Many of them, if We are not
mistaken, are built where both ore and coal are
scarce, and the supply dependent on the ability OF
the Ifcn-master 10 purchase, and The disposition
OF The owner Of the soil 10 sell. Such stablsh>
xia nd nh, IA, hotr,
elusive privileges; ard WHEN the inevitable ope>
ration OF The law regulating profits and reducing
prices renders them no longer Profitable, they 90
down. and the lanf cf 1916 is blamed with what
Is as much The inevitable penalty Of the viola.
ilon Of commercial laws, as The burning OF the
nand vi the lrJn>masitr who should ihursl il in
10 The meal as il run from his furnace, would be
the effect Of The violation OF physical laws"
That The raIe o! duty 90 per cent? on import
ed iron aix-i by the Tariff OF 1876 is sufficient,
II only il were specific, i. c. so much per ton, in
stead OF 50 much per cent, on The value 10 admit.
ed, we understand, by he iron men themselves,
who no doIbt aim 10 take good care Of their
own interests. Bat They complain that under BE
ad yalorem system Of the present Tariff when
foreign iron is lowest, and when consequently
they need most protection, they actually have
The least; AMI on the other hand, when they need
leas' projection, They have Inc most. There is
tofce in this objecticn beyond doubt: ard il IS
rsh that an effort shouI! be made to obyiate il.
But how2 No, by abardoning The ad valOrem
system, which, by lis uniformity simplicity, and
equity, mus. commend itself 10 all disintcresled
men, but BY Introducing, as applicable to iron,
and possibly 10 few ohe. articles, sliding
seae. For exampl" lie, The present prices OF iron
be taken as medium or standard; ard Jet The duty
as now, be 80 per cent ad valoTcm. Ii the dn.
liable value be increased; lei The duty itself be
diminished. Bui il he duiiabie value hc dmin-
ished, let the duly itself be increased. To avail
ourselves OF The language Ut a communication
in this paper on The II h uI':-
"Adopt sliding scale, with a central stand
ard point of value, say d, bearing direct and
unalterabie relation 10 rate Of daly, say 30
per cent. Thu, when iron was imported, bear.
ing value Of d dollars per ton, the rate of duty
should be 80 per cent. When, however, The
iron sank to The value Of E dollars per ton, he
duty should rise 10 IS p. c. when it sank still
lower TO dollars pr ten, the duty should as
ceud 10 40 p c.; when 10 q, 5p.c In this
way The manufacturer would find bis pro :cclicn
keeping pace with the increased power Of com.
petition abroad On the other Sand when the
value of iron rose 10 c, the rate of duty should
sink to 25 D. c, snd so on, 10 B and A, bearing
90 and Is p C. This would guar the consumer
agans. an increase Of price TO him, while il
kept il uniform for the manufacturer, an adran-
lage readily to be appreciated.
"Ths standard point D should be somewhere
about the presen! invoice value of iron, or one
that nables The manufacturers TO keep furnaces
going; not one that affords large protection, and
nurses them into condition Of pampyred sccu,
ri'y destructive to enterprise"
II any modification Ct he duie; en- Iron is 10
49,
inis clearly is The basis on which il should pro-
cecd BY 20 mean. should The MORN ad valu-
rem sysiem be departed from. Tat in panicu.
lar cases this system has lis incoa-cniences, We
freely admit; but they are on the whole much
less Than those Of The competing system Of speci.
fc duties. One OF the mos, serio=s objections 10
the mater il, that they make The poorer classes,
wno consume the cheaper articles, pay IN ,ch
more 10 proportion 10 The value Of The same, han
the itch 10. Any system oil taxation BIZ duties
upon imports bears heavily upon The poor, and
uron men in moderate circumstances, because
the later Consume almost as much as The rich,
and consequently pay nearly as large IN amoun!