Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-01-21
what Il Costa 90 MannfaetuFe PIG
IrOn-A supplementary Statement,
nv Com mi aalOner wells.

By Commissioner wells. r.t.t
On tho 18th OF January; Hon. W. D, Kelley
presented petition in the Federal House Of
Representatives from several OF the largest
iron manufacturing companies OF PennsyI-
vanla, wherein they assert that the statement
In the last annual report Of the Commls
slouer Of Internal Revenue respecting the
Ayerage cost Of the manufacture OF one ton
Of pig Iron, yiEs ga TO $50 per top, 10 errone-
| Gus, and q dangerous guide to Legislation,
the average cost at their manufaetories for
the year 1869 being t2o,16Ilj and In the first
SIX months OF 1852, t2ol6S. They ask,
therefore, that Congress will make q special
aud searching inquiry for the data on which
the Commissioner has based his statements,
and also into the accuracy Of their own
statements. To this the Commissioner has
returned prompt response, without waiting
to be called on Officially, supplying the data
called for by the petitioners. Hef1rst Alludes
to the difioulty he experienced In gathering
Information on tho subject, manufacturers
displaying great reluctance 70 furnlsh stalls
tics oil their business. .,,.r 49,
He then quotes from Mr.. @. 7. Lewis,
OF ClArksville, Tenn, an experienced iron
manufacturer, who gives the average cost Of
a ton Of pig Iron In localities lying directly
upon railroads complotsd or being bulls, at
L
t22,60, Mr.. Lewis says " can DO made on
the Nashville aud chattanooga railroad and
delivered In Nashville at n cost OF elo per
ton. In q pamphlet on the "Resources Of
Missouri" published during the past year
by Prof. 8. waterhouse, Of Che Washington
University, Missouri, and fully Endorsed %
accurate BY the Governor Of the State and
the 81. LouIS Board OF Trade, the coat Of
one ton OF pig iron At CArondelet, Mo-, IL
set down at t95, this bSlng copied from tho
books Of the company. Al youngstown,
Ohio, Prof. W. says the cost Il about t25.
To show the portlnence Of the above faets
on the manufacture OF iron In the anthracite
reglons Of Pennsylvania, tho Oommissioner
quotes from the report Of AbrAm 9. Hewitt,
ESQ, Commissioner Of the United States TO
the Paris Exposition In. 1867, practical
irou.mastsr Of many years. experience, TO
the effect that the cheapest region for the
manufacture Of pig iron, a. Jet s1teusIVeiy
developed, is on the Lehlgh river, In the
State OF Pennsylvania, where, taking coal
and ore at their actual cost OF mining, pig
iron is produced at an average cost Of t24
per ton. .r.. .s.. .-.. -..-..
These statements have long remained I'M
challenged, and the Commissioner does not
sec why his conhrmatory statement should
excite ill-temper and suggest the employ
ment OF British gold. The Commissioners
makes further citations, one from nrm In
Eastern Pennsylvania, In which the profit
on pig iron Is set down at $50 per cent, with
the further declaration that pigs can b
made from s22 70 s2S per ton, and then pay
M. Wells eongratulates himself, IN con.
clusion, that on the petitloners' own chow
ing the cost OF pig iron In the anthracite DIS
trict Of Pennsylvania does mot sHceed ESQ
per ton, currency, and hence that Q duty Of
| IS per ton Is more than sufficient 70 place
the manufacturers OF the highest cost pig
Iron In the United States on terms Of per-
feet equality with their foreign competitors.
Thus the average price OF standard Welsh
pig iron In Great Britain, for the three years
1885, 1865 and 1867, as officially reported BY
the Government, was ~. o.. Sd, equivalent
10 S2l.7 American gold, or reduced 70 cur
renoy, (assumlng the premium on gold Al liz
minimum, 20 per cent? t20.0o, Adding
ave dollars currency for freights, Insurance.
and commissions, "a fair estitnats,) the
price In bond In New York OF English pig
! welsh Gtandard) would be e9l.06 par ton.
| A duty OF % gold, or $500 currency, por-
| tIon would. further augment this price TO
$34.5B, or i've dollars above the highest coat
price alleged by tho CmeunrtAliaAhg IRON
master, All9Etpg q Psoat Of II pSs cent
\ be further added a margin 10 cover tn
4 pronts, interest and risk ofthe importer, aut
al leaat tl.6O per ton for every one hundret
miles transportation Inland from the port o
} entry. 60, I'M, .
The Commissioner IL able to state on tn
I authority OF Mr.. Hewitt " that the averag
value" (of pig iroD) at the furnaces on tn
: Lehigh (for the past year) has been Abou
1 f9s per ton for No. !, and $50 for No.
T Qoundry) and s3I for No. 8, (lprgs.)