The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-12-02


speed of the former, but because it is
wanted as a model upon which to
imp, p,ove, and at nearly old iron prices.
Here then we have an official
statement concerning the influence
of our existing tariff, which is well
worthy the serious attention OF the
American public. A large quantity
of old and discarded wooden machin-
cry has been bought during the past
year in England at about the price
of old metal and sent to the United
States. What for? The ide OF Con-
sui Shepard what it was sent in any
considerable quantity "as model
upon which to improve" is unreason
able. For if there were, in the first
place, any details in o!d patterns of
English wooden machinery with
which American mechanics and
machine builders were not long ago
fully acquainted "a supposition not
probably,) any information which
they might desire, and which was
manifestly, no secret could be more
readily and cheaply acquired through
the agency and duplication OF draw
ings, rather than by the. repeated
purchase and transportation of large
masses of old metal. The old
machinery was therefore bought by
American wooden manufacturers and
sent to the United States for use; and
a prominent New England merchant
conyersant with the domestic wool
and wooden business TO whom the
the writer appealed for additional in
acknowledged himself
conversant with the facts as above
stated, and jurtified the Importation
on the ground that such oid-pattern,
half worn ont machinery could be
used pso6tably in this country. We
are, therefore, warrented in drawing
the following interesting, and, from
an American stand point, descredit-
able picture of the wooden industries
of Great Britain and the United
States:
In the former country the manu-
factu7er, being dependent upon his
own resources is obliged to protect
himself naturally, by promptly
availing himself of every new i'm
proyement and process; by discard
ing his old machinery as no better
than old metal the moment anything
superior Is offered, and by continually
offering to the public the cheapest.
the best and the most novel products
at the lowest price. As con-
he has the whole world as
a customer. and in the year 1881, in
addition to supplyinghis own market
sold to foicign countries manufacture
ed products to the value of $lo3, ,O0o-
900. On the other hand the Ameri-
can wooden manufacturer, restricted
in his supply of raw material, and
protected by heavy duties from
foreign competition, is enabled to go
to Europe, purchase old machinery
which foreign manufacturers find
or unsuitable to use,
bring it to this country, and sell its
be-hind-the-age products
at profit to his countrymen, who
buy because tbe tariff will not per-
NIT them to supply themselves with
any thing better at the same price.
Is it to be wondered that under such
a condition of affairs the market for
the products OF the woolen industry
of the United States in foreign coun-
tries should have peen limitea in 1880
to the comparatively insignificant
sum of $2l6, 900? Is it possible more
over so long as this condition of
things is maintained, that there can
be any opportunity for increase in
domestic wool growing and wool
manufacturing beyond what is likely
TO be afforded by the increase of
our population? And whatever this
may be, it is certain that it will not
increase corresponding extent the
opportunity for the employment Of
labor, for the whole tendancy of the
Improvement in machinery and
processes is to largely increase the
of manufactured products
without increasing the requirements
for manual labor. And yet we are
continually told that it Is only
the continued maintenance
of our present high tariff that the
can attain to a high indus.
trial development.
Yours, DAVID A. WELLS.
Lawson Consistory No. l. of Washington
Territory was organized at Seattle ON the