The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-09-06
EXPORT DUTIES AND IMPORT DUTIES.

EXPORT DUTIES AND IMPORT DUTIES.
A friend sends us the following, from
a High Tariff organ:
They are having little hubbub in England
over the sugar duties, and decadence OF the
refining interest that has been brought about
by sharp competition from France. 1t appears
that the government of the latter country has
for several years been giving bounty to re-
timers who export their product, and the result
is thai about three-quarters of the loaf sugar
across the Channel. Last ye"r's imports were
10000 tons. A dozen years ago there were a
score of refineries in England now there are
only four in all England. Whereas, England
formerly exported vast quantities Of loaf sugar
to the Mediterranean, Turkey, North and South
America, and her colonies, she now exports
next to none. The French reiner has all the
business.
The amount OF the s'export bonus" drawn
last year from the French treasury by the re-
fners of that country was II ,OO0, 900 francs, or
over s22 per ton. BY the aid Of this bounty
the refners can sell their product in England
below its market value in their own country,
and there have been times when they have
thus actually sold sugar in England at cent
pound lower than the quotation in France
The matter has frequently been brought to
the attention Of the French government by
English diplomatists, who claim that the pay
ment of the bounty is in effect contraventlon
of treaty stipulations: but no redress has ever
been obtained The remedy now proposed in
England is the imposition Of duty on foreign
refined sugar, equal in amount to the bounty
paid by the French government. 1t is quite
likely that this measure OF protection tor the
British refining interest may be adopted The
free traders, in this case of immediate concern
to themselves, curiously forget the argument
of all
that no maeter how special interests may suffer,
no matter if they are annihlated, provided the
general public can bny at the lowest possible
prices.
We reply to this
I. That bounty or expectations is a
very different thing from bounty on
importations. The one encourages
commerce, the other restraints it. The
French sugar refiner, having been paid
500 per ton by his government, can af-
ford to sell his sugar in England S15 or
even $40 per ton below cost and thus
undersell the sugar Of the tropics. He
thus forces a commerce in spite of ma
ture. 1t is a question for the French
government whether the return COM
MERGE thus forced from England into
France will repay the people for that
$22 per ton on bounty or expectation.
II. The French sugar refner has an
inducement to the amount of $22 pei
ton to make sugar and export it. But
suppose it was the other way and there
was tariff of $22 per ton on sugar i'm.
ported. Then the sugar refner would
put up his price $22 per ton and take il
out OF the pockets OF his own country
men.
Ill. While we believe unrestrainet
commerce to be better for all nations
nevertheless the French system would
be decided improvement on GU
own. Suppose we abolish the tariff OF
importations, and the government voted
directly out of the national treasury,
bounty on exports of home manufac
lures. Then we. the people OF thl
country, could buy cheap goods. clothes
implements, &C.. for, foreign goods en-
Etering free, the foreign compettio
4 would keep down the price, while tn
manufacturer would make up his losse
by exporting his goods, and under tn
protection of his bounty undersellin
England in her own markets and in a
parts of the world, we would thus d,
velop commerce, ship-building and ma,
ufactures, while at the same time til
agriculturists would have cheap good
With cheap goods we could raise foe
cheaply, and this would also seek 70
eign markets.
Nv. Our present system restraints con
merce, brushes out the ship building il
dustry, impoverishes the home marke
and eventually leaves the manufacture
as he is now, cut off by the high pri,
of production from the markets Of Il
world, and with his home custome
driven to the meanest economies, al
unable or unwilling to buy his ware
A dollhouse system has forced his bu:
ness to an unnatural growth. and VIII,
1t collapses it covers the land with ruin