Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-12
AMERICAN MANUFACTURES.
From the London Daily Telegraph. |

From the London Daily Telegraph
A report which has just been published by
Mr.. Victor Drummond ON the question of actual
or threatened American competition with Eng
lish industl, ), gives, in very interesting form,
the i'm pressions of an intelligent official who
has no personal concern in the matter, but
views all the facts as an unprejudiced man of
the world. The conclusions at which he ar
rives are that, as regards the carrying
trade, England liz in no danger from the RI
valry of the United States, if only because of
the restrictive effects of the navigation laws in
force there which prevent American capitalists
from buying foreign-built vessels, however
cheap, and therefore SAILING them on as low
terms as Englishmen, Swedes or Germans can
afford to do, If to these we add the heavy
duties imposed on raw materials, we find
sufficient reasOns why Americans cannot COM
pete with Englishmen in the cheapness of
shipping. AS respects other industries. Mr..
DrummOnd confirms what was said over and
over again here during recent strikes, that
Englishmen have nothing to fear if they do
not quarrel over the cost of production that is,
if they reduce wages by amicable arrangement
wheI ever market exigencies are seen to rem
der the step Imperative. He points out
the many difficulties by which American pro-
ducers are neutrality-suspicious." rOus taxes, numer-
merous failures, the unsettled state of the Ia
Dor market, the silver bill, and uncertainty as
to the resumption of specie payments, over
production, and the dangers of the communis-
tic movement. 1t is, he seems to think, these
causes which led to the competition of American
with English goods. 'in a small way" at home,
because the speculative shipments over the At
antic of such articles as cotton manufactures
represented surplus stock which could not be
sold in the States, and was, therefore, sent
to England for disposal at any price Obtainable
We are inclined to think this is a mistake since
the importation of American manufactures in
to England has gone ON steadily increasing,
parted with their goods for yaars at a continu-
Gus loss. Nor does Mr.. DrummOnd take account
of the fact that American manufactures have
rapidly expanded their export trade, not merely
with England, hut with countries where Eng
lish industry has hitherto almost monop-
olized the market for certain goods, as
for instance. China, the West Indies, and South
America. Still. the advice which he gives TO
the workingmen here is wholesome and time.y
whatever opinion may be entertained of the
danger threatening. The working class must
consent to the stern facts of the case, and re-
member that there is distress in nearly every
country in the world just now, and that the
conditions of trade prevent their en ,)loyers
giving the ordinary wages, that if they did SO
they would be paying out of their capital, and
producing and selling at loss, and one day
they would find the mills closed perhaps new
err to be opened again-and that then there
wonld be no wages at ALL" 1t is by no means
out of place to enforce these truths now, be-
cause all the lessons of depressed trade have
not yet been thoroughly mastered, and until
they are, no permanent change for the better
can be looked for.