Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-12-31

/. Great Britain, 81. u currency. nhfg
Ithe average price in This county
| year was $35. 25 per tun.
N is therefore obvious ne says. CHAT
q adopting the minimum market urfrs
b and allowing for TIE cost 0f01U haH
q dred miles Of railroad TRANSFORMATION
e the price Of pig iron tO the American
/, consumers has been unnecessarily 3 en-
hanced during the past year t0 Ga ar-
erage Of from eight Go ten lol.u nGE
tun F; the result OF which, in short. is,
that while the average cost Of r-0du-
cling PIG iron, reckoned On @ GOLD basis
is bat little, If any, iu excess OF Che
average cost In Great Britain, and less
than the average cost Of production
upon the Continent Of Europe the
price Of iron to the consumer iu the
United States is greater than ir any
other civilized commercial and manu-
featuring nation.
Now, II is not necessary f1r thr
Commissioner Go enter into an oE-
tended argument Co show the fferE-
vantage under which the United States
rs placed as a nation By reason Of thfr
state ofthings be the cause what Fl NAV
AMe mere fact of an increased cent F.
Of itself a sufficient and uuaugwerr hIe
argument for an immediate abatement
Of the same at almost any saerffe
I1nasmuch as iron Is tho essential eIs-
ment OF modern civilization. and
whatever enhances its price r.ri8fs
ITS consumption and use, i1Craasar Che
cost OF all production and trauHB1rla-
ton, and checks development
A striking ILLUSTRATION Of the dth
/ OF this ls TO be found iu the fact chat
there IS to-day upon all the inland
lakes and canals Of the United States
hardly a single boat or vessel conatrue-
ted Of iron engaged in the iransDo-t1-
! ton Of merchandise. although the fr-
! PRODUCTION Of such boats Oh vgrs|e
/ by reason OF the smaller disDIaceneDt
would be equivalent to an eulrrqemsut
Of the Erie Canal or the deepaniur oF
St Clair Flats, Ian iron vessel Of 39o
tuns drawing thirteen inches less 7r-
ter than a wooden vessel Of The same
tunnage and burdeu.) 10 this adFau-
tRge must also be added the incre1Ged
economy due % greater durability -ud
reduction Of insurance.
Bat the usual and almost che o1Iv
arguments offered in reply Co ssh
| statements os that above given is thet
a continuance Of the present duel
imposed on plgiron is necessary 90 la.
sure employment 20 American labor.
To this the Commissioner would reply
that all the facts show that q radro-
iion or entire repeal of the duty
would IN no degree affect the manu-
facture, but only reduce it's profits ts
par with those realized in other
branches Of domestic Industry and
furthermore, that under DO abaten11t
or repeal OF the duty no more pig iron
would be imported than ut present. Pr
the American manufacture Won q
simply reduce his prices. and thus 10.
tain as now, full command of che co.
mestio market.
1t is also to be noted thqt if lbo
duty on pig iron were entirely rem0v-
ed, tile American producer 10 the i'm
terror would still enjoy a protection
IN the cost Of transportation Co t.0
extent of at least 81 90 per Con for
every one hundred miles that inter-
veDes between the place Of production
and port Of entry, which cirCulu-
stance renders the transport OF q sine
gle pound Of foreign pig iron Co any
considerable distance into Che intCri-r
a matter Of ordinary com merCial IEl-
possibility. To is also we'll. when thC
claim to the maintenance OF high cr-
ties on pig-iFOn is preferred iu behalf
Of labor, to consider what amount If
protection and opportunity for employ
ment is thereby taken aWag from 0tra
er bauches of industry. In the caro-
Of Bhipbuilding this point admits 1f
determination with approEimatiVa eye
cuFacy.
Thus the sea-goIng tunage that would
nave Deen 6ullt ia the year 1850,
coTding to the average rate uf lu-
crease nom l623 TO 1857, would have
Deduct the amount built In is5i.
And we have......................--. .f5500
An amount equivalent 10 six hundred
ships OF seven hundred and ffV tuna
each. AT the present ratio fr Tur.
land but ten per cent. oItheae would
have been of wood But to Build
these SIX hundred ships would have
employed for the year a force 0f about
thirty thousand men, or more than tH1
and half times as many as are at
present directly engaged ia Che manu-
facture Of pig iron.
To man these six hundred sbipr
six thousand men for the year WouIt
have been necessary and to supply
them with chains, canvas, rigging, and
other furniture, would have further
the labor of 40 least four
thousand more men. So We may oEtis
mate that this protection tO che manu-
iaoture Of pig iron by twelve thousand
FIVE hundred men directly. er fflV-tur
thousand I've hundred, both directly
aud Indirectly, in 1867, so enhanced
the cost of iron, as TO deprive more
han forty thousand other wOrkmen
of employment during that same yeur,
10 connection with the single industry
of the building, equipment, and sale
ing of sea-gOing vessels TO say uOth-
ing Of the construction Of vessels for
lso upon our inland Waters,
SALT, COAL AND LUMBER.
The Commissioner would renew tha
of his previous re-
lOrt IN favor OF the abatement Of the
luty on salt aud tho entire removal
# the duties on coal aud on monuiuc-
ured lumber, on the general Ground
hat the benefit likely to be oxbafisn-
ed by the few from a continuance 81
hese taxes affords no sufficient com
)ensation for the detriment which
hese oOninuances seem 30 entail uu-
10 he many.
Sah.-The specific character and
of the duties imposed ou
alt wore so fully discussed and illus
rated in former report, chat che
commissioners will at present CALI ai-
ention only 20 the following points
First-Their excessive character i7
Itrikingly shown by the circumstance
haiti the Government we're co exact
Is duties, like tithes, In kind, 90 would
eouire that each vessel arriviur in
he United States with q cargo ol I0r-
ign salt should be accompanied bv
mother ofequal size, and 6 third craft
f from eight to fifty Dor conE
lpaoity Of the former to convey che
uty.
Seoond-That the existing duty
ct required to sustain and daVa'0n