The Portland daily press., 1883-10-18
About Canned Salmon

Our helgDoor, the Advertiser, has lately
shown some indications Of Interest In the
subject of the expectation of American
canned salmon. This interest grew out of
discovery reported to have been made by the
firm of John &c Henry Dennis thai if they
shipped portion of their invoice of canned
salmon, expected fromOregon over the North
ern Pacific railroad, TO ST. John they would be
entitled to drawback on the tin cans equal
10 the original duty paid on the tin less 10
per cent, "a bounty so considerable that
while the the wholesale price of the salmon
In Portland is $1.37 per dozen cans, the
same salmon can be forwarded to ST. John
$50 miles farther and laid down there for
$l.33 dozen. "The result is" says the Ad-
veriiser, shat in consequence of the tariff
on tin, the people of Portland must pay 3
per cent more for Oregon salmon than the
people of st. Johp.''
Some of the papers of the State have COM
mented on this remarkable 81 atement as not
credible, but the Advertiser assures them
that there is 10 doubt of the fact that
canned salmon can be shipped from Oregon
- 'ot ~ ". ORbi OOU iulitS O61Ottl TOTt-
land aid sold there for three per cent. less
than the same salmon in the same cans
would cost here.''
We also thought the statement incredible
and have been at some pains to investigate
it. The result of our investigation is CON
vc'ion that the Advertisers mistaken. We
do lot know whether the Messrs. Dennis ex-
ported any of their American canned sal
mon, bu. if they did, they probably found
ont that in making such statement they
had not taken into account the Canadian
duty on American salmon. II is tue tfsat
there is drawback of the amount of the du-
W tless ten per cent? paid on the tin used in
the making of the cans; but that is not per
cent. of the value of the cans filled with sal
mon, not by long chalk, as the farmers
say. 1t amounts to less than two
cents per dozen cans. American salmon
selling in Portland at 81 per dozen could
be sold in st. John for $1.35 and fraction
instead Of $l.33 as the Advertiser says, but
for two things, one of which is that the
freight to ST. John would cost more than
the drawback, or bounty" and the other is
that the salmon would be subject to the Ca
madam duty whchis "a cents per dozenscans,
less the drawback. So that the account
would stand about as follows:
Price in Portland per dozen cans SIS7
Freight, Portland t. St. John, insurance in
terest, et. al, say. .o3
Canadian duty "a cents less drawback, %
Price In St. John, at least, Sl.e2
Which accounts for the fact that the peo-
pie of the Provinces buy British Columbia
salmon which although it pays no duty on
salmon or cans can be obtained but little
lower than the American article, known as
Columbia River salmon, and not so low as
Americans get their salmon.
The Advertiser used this supposed discoy-
covery to make point against Senator FRYE
1t quotes the Senator as having 10 a speech
in Portland during the last Presidential
campaign pictured the United States govern
ment saying to foreign manufacturers, eyes,
you may bring your goods here, but first YOU
must pay into the treasury at Washington
small contribution to offset the taxes of our
own manufacturers" and the Advertiser
remarks factiously that some of his hearers
thought that if taxes could be drawn at plea
sure from foreign merchants Congress ought
to make them pay the current expenses of
the nation and the debt besides,'' as if there
were no such thing as killing the goose that
lays the golden egg.
We shall not undertake to maintain Mr..
Frye's proposition in literal strictness. Rhe-
toricians like poets have to be allowed GER
tain license. Had he been writing with I'M
hurried precision for quarterly review, or,
ito take an example OF extraordinary care
fulnessl, for a daily newspaper, be would
perhaps have phrased the argument a little
differently. But we do not think anybody
need misunderstood him. The foreign man
ufacturer is anxious to sell his goods
here and nnquestjnoably he would be
happy if he could undersel American
manufacturers, drive them out of bust
ness and monopolize the market. Amer
leans generally have thought that it
was not patriotic or wise to suffer that to be
done, that the people themselves pay por-
ton OF the import taxes as the Advertiser |
asserts, land probably Mr.. Frye would not con-
tradict. But it is also true that the tax has to
be paid by somebody before the goods can 90 |
on the market. 1t is also true we believe
that the foreign manufacturer pays part of
these taxes, That is to say he sells his goods
to the importer lower than he would but for
the fact that there is an American compe-
ton. The importer who pays the duty REIN |
burses himself in part by getting reduction
of price from the foreign manufacturer aud
charges the balance to the purchaser.
But this is not a clear loss to the purchaser
for If he did not pay the taxes necessary for
the support of government in that way he
would have TO do it in some way, and no
fairer and less Objectionable way of collect
ing taxes has yet been discovered than by
levying aduty on imports.