The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-04-05
Who pays tho Duty, the Producer or the
COusumers

We gave, on Monday, some facts in relation
TO the British monopoly Of tin, and we now
desire to invite the attention of our readers to
some in relation to the British monopoly of
iron. which we take from the same paper in
the London Morning Chronicle. They are as
follows:
''In lS43 the make of iron in Great Britain was
900 tons; estimated quantity exported 45O0 900
tons; and the price Of bar iron per ton in Wales,
ga 5s In 1850 the make of iron in Great Britain
was j so, 900 tons; the export would consume Of
this at least 900 00O The price of bar-iron per
ton in Wales, Ga l5s. to 60. II is pretty evident
from this return that foreign iron trade is no
phantom.
''The price at present is not ruinously low
to prevent enlargement of works.
"The four largest iron-nasters in Wales are
putting up new engines or mills.
sin Staffordshire, Yorkshire, and Northumber-
land the make is increasing, and in Scotland not
furnace more than the average ia out Of blast.
Sin no other country in the world has the stim-
ulated and excessive supply of 1916 and ls47 kept
up in quantity. In France. the United States, and
Germany, the quantity made has gone back to the
production of 1915 and knoio nothing so ruin
to a manufacturer reducing his make, bo,cing
out his furnaces, and stopping his mills When we
| see large manufacturers, and Mr.. Booker amongst
them, increasing their production 30 largely since
lS43, and the price also improved, is it not evident
that the present position is considered temporary,
and arising from the collapse in railway works, us
regards malleable and pig iron AS regards tin
plates, am Mr.. Booker, in his heart, hopes he
| may never get worse price"
In 1912 the quantity of iron produced in this
country was 100000 tons. In l848, under eff
ficient protection, it had reached 100000 tons.
So long as the railroad excitement of England
lasted the home demand absorbed nearly all
that was produced; but with the close of that
scene of madness, 50 nearly resembling that
now going on in this country, the effect of our
900 tons, in increasing the general supply
of the world, began to be felt in the reduction
iron-masters Mr.. WALKER came to their aid,
and, by reducing the duty, enabled them to
throw upon us part of the duty, by first clos
ing our mills and then raising their prices. 1t
will be seen by the above extract that the price
of bar iron is now higher by ten to fifteen shil-
lings ($2.22 to $233) than it was in 1s43,
and that the present position of affairs is re-
garded only as temporary" and that higher
prices are to be looked for. 1t Is temporary,
for when the remaining furnaces of the coun-
try shall be blown out, and Great Britain shall
havo been ro-estnblshed in her monopoly,
prices will again be as high as they were in
l846, and then it will be found that it is the
consumer who pays the duty, in the enhance
ment of the foreign price, precisely as in the
case of the tin plates quoted on Monday.
Nothing, we are assured in the above ex-
tract, is 90 SO ruinous to a manufacturer as
blowing out his furnaces, reducing his make,
and stopping his mills" Mr.. WALKER has
already blown out several hundred furnaces,
and has stopped nearly all our rolling mills,
while he has "reduced the make" in nearly all
our cotton mills, and has closed entirely great
numbers Of them, for the purpose Of restoring
to Britain her monopoly of the manufacture OF
iron and of cloth; and it might be interesting to
him now TO make an estimate of the amount of
ruin of which he has been the cause. He was
invited by Mr.. CAREY to an examination of this
and other questions connected with the wants
of his revenue system, but we have not yet
seen any public announcement of his acceptance
of the invitation.