New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-05-11
MIR. ATKINSON REPLIES TO THE TRIBUNE.

TO the razor OF The Trtbune.
SIR In reply to your comments upon my
letter OF April %
l. You allege that am the Free-Trader who has ad-
mtted that a removal OF duty did not always cause a
reduction in price. 1 cannot accept the compliment
know of no man who comprehends the subject who has
not admitted this point There BIO doubt that the
tariff WOOL when passed. reduced the price OF
wool for the time 1t threw the excess Of foreign wool
oil upon the European markets. broke them down. fur
nished foreign competitors with lowcost WOOL and
thus enabled them TO send such cheap goods here that
own manufacturers could only pay very low price
for domestic wool This n case Of retributiye low
prices from bad legislation.
H. You appear to affirm that the duty on pig iron
does not cause price TO be relatively higher than the
British price, even when both prices absolutely low,
"because any staple IT, and must be, cheaper in the
country which produces than in distant land which
obtains Il by Importation" Now, pig iron is staple
We produce It in large quantity; therefore, on your
rule it is and must be cheaper than If we imported 1t
from q distant land. Agreed. Then why do we need
any protective duty upon 1T AS to the freight OF pig
iron inland which you say overlook. must deny the
abatement II the estimates which have appeared In
your paper are true there many points In the ne-
ror OF the country at which foreign iron could not be
placed in competition with domestic, If the foreign were
given without at the foreign mine. Why then not
this item Of freight ample protectioni
III. with pig iron equally cheap Tor ueaI) IN thlS
country and Great Britain the cheaper labor and capital
in Id countries would still enable her to underse us in
steel in bars in iron steamships" May ask you who Ia
the cheapest laborer in THE TRIBUNE printing Office
the man who earns the highest wages or the lowest
Are wages criterion OF cost and is the lowest wage
laborer the cheapest
~ You affirm that Great Britain concentrate ore
and coal on the average cheaper than we cam This
question of oren very doubt But suppose
iron form in
less cost than mako It'll
v You afrmthatI would sacrifice the producers ofpig
IRON How So If the result of free.trade measures
would not be decline in price, but equalization Of
COST You define the industry which am said to at
tack with great accuracy, and draw some important
deductions therefrom. Your facts are as follows:
Value OF pig iron last year, Mt least. S6O0OOO
Men employed in all the processes OF production lOyO
Persons who supply these families and are,
Total number "not less than 100000 Of our people
who draw their subsistence from THIS industry"
Please check my figures by you statement. II you
are correct each person Of the million gains sub
sistence worth $50 year. II you correct each head
Of family earns just $500 year, less than 81 day
II deduction be made for the profits ON capital this
pittance would be reduced May ask how you have
protected or benefited the aborer on this showingf
VI When you were engaged in Vermont in clearing
land and choppng wood, how would you have begun
YOU had not INDUCED in the luxury of foreign or i'm
ported AK
Finally agree food, labor iron-ore, and coal must
come near each other have the food, tho ORE ana
the coal than any other nation IN the world LABOR
and capital muet flow and combine them, and will do
40 when you cease make them appear to depend upon
snecial legislation which may be repealed at any
ment. especially when parties breaking up rs they
rosV are EDWARD ATKINSON.
Boston, May 8, 1872