Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-04-01
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DID Protection Reduce the Price
Of Steel Rails?

Of Steel Rails?
Did the 12s per ton protection" depTess
tho prices Of iron rails from 9l5s 50 in 1868
70 o42 per ton in 1873? And did "protectinu''
ssiss the price Of iron rails from 94e per ton
In 1879 to e67 .5O per ton in 1880? or we're
thooe ductuati0ns due TO causes connected
with the state Of the general prosperity of the
country, influencing the alternate rise and
lall2 Clearly By the latter, and the lesson
taught - therefore, that the stimulus impaired
10 industrial enterprises by the prosperity of
the country il much more healthy, eficacious
and reliable than hos-bed appliances by gov
eFpment in the form Of extrsvagent protective
duties.-He New Age.
The reduction in price of steel rails in
this country is unquestionably due to the
protective tariff. Before the duty was
placed upon them none of any consequence
were manufactured in this country. Eng
land had a monopoly of the business,
fixed the price for rails in 1863 at the high
figures mentioned above, sl5s.5O per ton,
and our railroads were obliged to pay it.
As soon, however. as Bessemer steel works
started in this country under the protection
Of the tariff. the English manufacturers re-
duced their price, to meet and to beat
competition in this country If they could.
The tariff, however. enabled American Bes-
semer steel works to grow. and as they grew
Englsnd's power to control the price Of
rails declined. Last year the gross
product of rails in this country was 200
GOO tons. The business is steadily grow
ing here. and If it meets with no Interrupt
ton. will soon be thoroughly established.
Il now employs 10000 American work.
men. pays over s7.5O0.0O0 yearly in
wages, and has furnished us steel rails for
10 years 1t an average price little less
than the English price in 1870. and 800 a
ton less than the English made our rail-
roads pay in 1868. During that time de-
mand and supply have caused some nuc-
tuation In prices. but one fact stands out
clearly. that prices have never gone back
to the price exacted by England in 1868.
and that the tariff has saved our railroad
companies at least $50 ton yearly upon
all rails purchased since the duty was
placed upon rails by this government.
Had we been left under the dominion Of
free traders. England would now be rob-
bling US with her high prices as she
robbed us In 1868. Prosperous as our coun-
try has been our Bessemer works would
not have been established but for the pro-
tective tariff. and England's monopoly
would have continued to wiring from our
railroads and all who travel over them the
enormous price that she exacted in 1868.
The recent heavy rain-falls along the
Pacific slope have. according to local au-
thorities, given assurance that the grain
crop of this season will be a good one in
Oregon and California. The pecularities
Of . dry and wet season dividing the year
between them make the farming industry
more certain one in that part of our
country than in any other part of the
world. That is to say. by the middle of
March the farmers are usually able to
definitely state what the character of the
harvest three or four months later will be.
This season the acreage of wheat in CAL
ifornia will be about 3.O91 900 acres,
which. at low estimate. (under existing
conditions) of 10 centals to the acre, will
give a total of 1.515. 200 tons. of which
more than three-fourths will be avsilable
for shipment abroad. The extent of land
planted with wheat in Oregon is not
definitely known. but taking the two
States together it is probable that in the
summer there will be ready for export not
less than one and half million tons of
wheat.