The daily gazette., 1882-04-01
more About the Oppressive Radical
Taxes.
Eroan iha phiiada1nhta TsaIauranh

Taxes.
FROM the Philadelphia Telegraph.
| Last week in the British Parliament,
"Mr. Richie moved that q select COM
''mittee be appointed to inquire into
''the effects Of the foreign customs
"tariffs on British commerce. The
"Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain,
"PTesident of the Board OF Trade, re-
minded Mr.. Rtchie's supporters that
protection in America was introduced
"as temporary measure to stimulate
'infant industries, and that OF the
total amount of exports from America
"9O per cent. consisted Of food and
''raw materials, which were not sub
"ject to q protective tariff at ALL"
The meaning of Mr.. Chamberlain's
reply Was that 1t was useless to talk
Of rotaliating upon America by pass
ing retaliatory tariff laws, as England
could not afford to tax our exports of
food and raw materials, because her
people must have them, aud because
they amount to 30 per cent. Of all our
exports.
There are two things worthy OF at
tention In connection with the conten>
tion that the tariff laws protect our
workingmen against the pauper paid
labor Of Europe. The first Is that the
four industries most protected are ~
cotton goods, (2) woollen goods, 80
iron, "a ships, Now then ns to the
first three, the wages pad here are
but little higher than those paid 10
England, and 1t 10 most remarkable
that all the recent strikes for wages OF
magnitude, have been the work OF the
working people employed in the manu-
features of cotton, woollen, and iron.
Mr.. Henry Kemp, Of Brooklyn, has
prepared cnriously instructive table
upon our protected industries, for a
synopsis of which we are indebted to
the Eagle of that city. Here are Mr..
Kemp's figures:
For cotton goods simported......4 2eOsi,1l2
Dnty, 10 per Icent........;:,...s. ,io,S2o,di6
Extra price because OF duty.... $1,000 600
Tariff Received by GoV't.,....... l0S25,ll5
Extra price paid for prOtsotio 9O,OOO,0,0
These figures show that the working
people, all OF whom use cotton goods,
are taxed their share CT the 500 100000
to be projected against the pauper labor
of Europe, and the newspaper reports
show that the cotton operatives are strlk
ing for better wages, they receiving
nothing like the pay that IL given TO
other skilled wOTkm6n who aIe not pro-
tected at all from the pauper labor Of
Europe, such for instance as blacksmiths,
carpenters, mssons, painters, or mechan-
les If any s2t.
In the same way take Mr.. Kemp's iron
and steel statistics; r
Iron important Of thevalue oi$32, ,99I, 900
Duty Nt 80 II 100 per cent?. 12,ll5,000
Home rcduct..........s...s. S5,OOO,OOO
Enhanced cost for production. 100000 900
That is to say, the country pays $42,-
900, 900 for iron aad steel protection, and
only $l2,000,O00 is revenue, the remain
der Is paid by the consumer. That the
workers In iron aud steel do not get
their share of this vast sum 10 certain,
for no other class of workingmaD are
more lily paid than they. Mr.. Kemp
mentioned six articles only In his statis-
ties, and tums up the results as fol-
| lows:-
Duty paid to Government
on six articles. $l27,605,S ,S77
| On all other articles. 66, 1918
EnuhuCcu pIICo vi Luc 5iA
articles ............ ........ "a, ,4s3, $50
OF all othtr dutiAble articles lll,00O,000
Profits charged to importers,
etc. etc, 20 per cent. ON
enhanced price. .......... 100 100000
Total cost Of protection. 1854, PAL ,30S
Amount received by the
Government ............ l92,s57,6IS
Hot cVSbssssss p4O1,Ooo,OtO
These tables, compiled from the Off
clal figures, are at least suggestive of
the fact that revision OF the tariff is a
real necessity. The sum OF $46l ,5S3, ,676
Is good deal 10 pay annually for pro-
lection, and 1t should not continue to be
paid unless 1t is quite satisfactorily es-
tablished that II protects all and not the
| Fo = ~.