New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-22
THE TARIFF.

II was TO he expected that somebody would
be dissatisfied with the tariff proposed by the
Commission. The Free Traders have attacked
it savagely, and it is probably quite consistent
and reasonable that the people who are i'll
terested in various manufactures should at
tack it also. Possibly these gentlemen may
find this unwise; if they insist upon going fur
Their they may fare worse. A Congress has been
elected which will begin to legislate within a
wear from this time. If duties have not then
been reduced already there is a great deal OF
reason to believe that reductions will be made
nv that Congress which the manufacturers will
not like. They have the right of course to
resist the compromise now offered and to de-
feat it if they can, but it might be well for
them to consider how much they.wlll gain by
so doing. For one thing they will lose the
active effort and hearty sympathy OF many in
fuental people who consider the proposed
tariff reasonable compromise, but will be
inclined to go much further If the manufac-
turers prevent its adoption. Plainly the choice
is between the tariff proposed 10y the Com
mission, which can be enacted, and much less
satisfactory one, which the next Congress will
be likely to adopt if it finds the present duties
in force. We have great fear that the sort OF
tariff which a Democratic Congress would
frame would not be beneficial to American in
dustries. But the manufacturers can try that
experiment, if they choose to oppose the tariff
recommended by Messrs. Hayes, Oliver and
their associates.
The 1nen who are interested in the making
of pig-ron appear to be organizing for resist
ance. A meeting at which some of them were
represented took place at Pttsburg on Mon
day They object to the proposed duty on pig
iron, which is substantially the present duty,
but they object much more strongly to the pro-
posed duty on scrap-irOn, which is higher than
the present duty as to cast, but lower than The
present duty as to wrought-scrap. Under the
proposed duty of three tenths of ! cent per
pound, or Sc ~ per ton, these men say that
great quantity OF old iron could be brought into
the country to be used in place of their pig-iron
They assert, too, that the average price OF pig
ron at present is $21 per ton, and that this
price does not pay the cost of manufacture"
IC is a little tiresome to hear these assertions.
The labor of defending American industries
would be far less difficult than it is if the men
who are Immediately most benefited thereby
would hot make claims that are entirely in
defensible.
Ten or twenty years ago the public did not
know much about the actual cost of making
iron, and a statement such as the one quoted
might then have been made without doing much
harm. In these days every intelligent man
knows that the cost of making iron varies very
widely, and that it can be made ia great
quantity at very many points at much less than
$21 per ton. Several persons testified before the
Tariff Commission that they made iron costing
not more thar $l4 per ton, and there are some
furnaces in operation at which the cost is still
less But the fact that many furnaces are out of
blast indicates that there are many which can
not afford to make iron even at present prices
The convention of iron and steel manufactu-
rers held at Cresson September IL and 10
asked duty of So per ton on pg-iron aud on
wrought scrap of every description. Its argu-
ments were placed before the Commission very
deliberately and ably, and il was then claimed
that the furnaces were barely getting living
at present prices. But the makers advocated
a higher duty, 90 the ground that it would 80
develop the manufacture that they would
soon be compelled to sell at less than present
prices. Why they should want to sell at less
than cost the Commission could not see. The
of the Western Iron Manufacturers
Association on Wednesday unanimously rec
the proposed tariff, aud the pig-iron
makers will probably find it difficult to satisfy