The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-08-24
IRON ORE,

Discussion Before the Tariff Commits.
Mon AN to the Rest Method Of Protect.
Ing American Iron Intercstx. .s.a,-
:. LONG BRANCH, August 22.-Mr. Alfred
Earnshaw, OF Philadelphia, importer OF
iron ores, read a printed argument for the nd
mission ofiron ore and manglniferous iron
ore into this country duty free as means
Of true protection to tho iron and steel
trade. The present duty on iron ore, he
says, although not averaging over so cents
a ton, is very important factor in limit.
ing the amount that is brought here year.
ly. Its importation was merely an adjunct
OF the steel business. To stop it's importa.
tion would not increase the price OF native
ore and would not cause the mining OF an
additional ton in this country, because ev.
cry ton OF good ore that could be mined
here was being mined without any regard
to foreign ore. This country required for
yearly consumption in steel mills two
million tons OF pig iron. one fifth
OF which was imported The
one.ffth controlled absolutely the price OF
the other four.iilths. To place iron ore on
the free list, therefore, would give the
American iron.makers the chance of
driving out OF the market the surplus pro.
duction OF pig.iron Of England. England
was chiefly dependent upon the Spanish
and African ores for her. supply OF Besse.
mer pig.iron, and, therefore, the taxing
Of these ores was simply offering to Eng.
land that amount Of premium To stop
that orc from being imported and to leave
foreign pig.iron alone would be like watch.
ing the spigot and letting the cask leak ut
the bung. II was not because foreign
ore was 80 cheap that it was used, but be-
cause it was low in phosphorus. II a
higher value OF ore in this country was all
that was desired, that end could be at
once attained by increasing th.Tduty ON
pig.iron, (which, however, he did not adyo
cate. His conclusions were; First, that
even . prohibitory duty on ore would not
affect the price Of natiye ore second, that
therenoyal OF all duty would not affect tile
price Of native ore;. third, that a prohibi.
tory duty on ore wouldmaterially increase
the, importation ofARessemer pig.iron,
fourth, that free ore would materially dc.
crease the importation oil pig.iron; fifth,
that IN increased duty on pig.iron would
decrease It's importation; sixth that q
higher duty on pig.iron would stimulate
the development ofSouliern ore-beds and
the erection Of furnaces in the South sev-
enth, that the, higher duty on pig.iron would
greatly increase the price Of ore; and
eighth, that the developement Of the South.
ern iron business would permanently, re.
ducenthe price Of Bessemer pig.iron and
Besscmcr ore in this country.
Tie fpubmitted tPta Titahle 10 show
that the present tariff, with" the
ocean freight added, gave to Resseper iron
ore q total protection equal 10 yl70 per cent
ad valorem; to spiegeleisen ore, ITO per
cent; to iBessemer pig,iron, 10 per, cent,
and TO 20 per cent spiegcleisen, IS per cent.
Apart from tho question of iron ore was
that Of manganiferous iron ore used in the
manufacture OF spieeeleisen, an article OF
absolute necessity in, The manufacture Of
Bessemer steel. There were no known de-:
posits in this country ol suitable ole, in
quantity, and tho very small quantity OF
spicgeltis isen now manufactured here was
smelted chiefly from foreign ores. The re.
moval !of the duty, on the ore could do no
harm to anybody, and might encourage the
transfer Of the manufactures Of spiegeIeisen
from! Europe TO this country. At present,
the importation oil spiegeleisen was about
150,UUO tons n year. M rFih ,56}, l l II.