Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-08-29

further protected against the labor of
European workmen who are compelled
to toll from year to year for what will
barely keep body and soul together.
That portion of the price of ton of
imported Iron which stands for the WA.
ges of lab. r"Tresents coarse food.
mean raimeut, aa worse lodging, DO.
lltical nulIity, enforced ignorance, serf-
dom in single occupation, with pros
pect OF eventual relief from the parish
That portion of the price of ton of
American iron which stands for the
wages of labor, represents fresh and
wholesome food, good raiment, the
homestead, unlimited freedom of move
ment, and change OF occupation, intel
ligent support of all the machinery of
Municipal, State, and National govern
ment, with prospect of comfortable
old age, at last dividing its subsistence
with blessings among prosperous chill
dren
Thus it is easy to see why imported
iron may be cheap and American iron
dear; for the latter, in addition to it's
other burdens, pays an extraordinary
which are assuredly deserving of pro-
lection
The cheapening Of American iron by
competition with American iron salts
ties the requirements Of trade. produ-
ces harmony of interests, a perfect
equilibrium OF values, and gives stabil-
ity to all the pursuits of industry. The
cheapening of American iron by COM
petition with imported iron is degra-
dation Of the national life, deran cement
Of national business, and a disaster to
the National Government.
In times Of great depression in this
country labor has fallen to an average
cost of seventy five cents per day, and
rails could then be produced at net
cost of thirty dollars ton but taking
the average of labor at two dollars
per day, the net cost would be eighty
dollars pc. ton, the calculation exclu-
ding direct tax, interest, royalty, and
profits.
The English and Welsh ironworkers
receive at this time an average Of about
fifty cents per day, and the ironmas.
ter who employs this cheap labor can
make rails at net cost of about twen-
ty dollars per ton; and he can land
them in this country by paying duty
but little greater than the direct tax
paid by the American maker, whose
product has been further enhanced in
cost by heavy contributions to the
treasury in the form of indirect taxes
tits difficult to fix the precise amount
OF indirect tax paid on ton OF rails by
the workingman, but | offer the fol.
lowing approximate estimate, based
upon long continued and careful OBJ.
servations. | have assumed that 50
days labor is expended directly in the
production of a ton of rails, and that
S more are further expended for the
materials and supplies consumed and
used, and which are the product of la.
Dor elsewhere than at the works As
suming therefore forty days labor as
the number expended directly or indi-
rectly on the production of a ton of
rails, seven and half tons will be the
annual production of each hand, or
one hundred and thirty three and a
third (l333) men are employed in ma
king a thousand 10000 tons of rails
Including the miner, the millman, the
mechanic, the clerk, and the manager,
with the day-laborer, the experience
of ironmasters will bear me out in say
ing that this labor cannot be obtained
now for much less than the average
wages Of two dollars per day. Believ-
ing this TO be safe estimate, we find
that every ton of rails costs eighty
dollars in wages of labor At least
tour-ftths Of this sum, or sixty-fve out
of eighty dollars, are expended in living
as soon as earned, and it is possible to
tell very nearly for what it is spent,
and what revenue the Cover nment de-
rives from this source upon ton of
American iron, which ofcOurse it could
not receive if the iron was nanufac-
tured abroad
The following statement is made up
by a careful comparison of the purcha-
ses of different grades Of wOrkmen, and
while it is not pretented that perfect
accuracy has been obtained, feel GER
tain that the widest observation and
most minute scrutiny will not convict
it of material error.
TABLE SHOWING THE INDIRECT TAX
! PAID BY LABOR ON ToN OF RAILS.
! articles IdIed.
Value. Tax.
Sugar, 81 90 5 80
Coffee 80 10
Buckets, tubs, &C., so "a
Syrup, 90 8.
Matches, g 2.