Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1886-04-22
eureka Dailp Sentinel.
THE LEAD IN

Different people oftentimes view GER
tain questions in different lights, and the
reasons assigned on both sides for SO
thinking are not always barren Of reason.
OF late years q strong endeavor has been
made to remove from lead the tariff now
imposed, and place it on the free list.
Those who advocate the change present
a fair argument, and for this reason the
industry requires careful watching on
the part OF its friends. England placed
lead on the free list, but it committed a
folly from which it now suffers. What
it is that has happened to the English
with regard to their lead industry is thus
collated by the Philadelphia Press:
Free trade destroyed the British lead in
dustry. More than sc, 200 able bodied
English miners, with their families, have
been thrown out Of work in this industry.
They have gone to swell the normally large
body OF unemployed in that happy free
trade country and to compete %ruinouslv
with those engaged In other branches OF
underground labor. This, OF course, is
the most serious part OF the question. We
shall pass over the loss OF the capital sunk
in opening the mines and providing ma
chinery in addition to the lessened de-
msnds for coal and iron work consequent
upon an almost total abandonment Of an
important industry. Why was this in
dustry turned over to foreigners? Because
England wanted cheap lead. She wanted
to draw her lead from the mines of
the world. True, in doing this sne ruined
the British producer and set the 3d.
600 persons engaged in the indus
try to compete for labor in other indus-
tries already bverstocked with workjngmen
seeking employment.
Did she accomplish her object? Was
the onsume benefited? The Press de-
clines to answer but in place thereof
quotes from an editorial in the London
Daily Post: "And. If we are to believe
competent authorities, the British con-
sumer has not been benefited to the extent
of q penny piece by the importation OF
cheap Spanish lead. Lead pipes, lead
sheeting, white lead and other manu-
featured forms of the metal are stated not
to have fallen appreciably in price for
many years. All the time, too, the home
demand is constantly growing. and the
mine owners OF the Peninsula are reaping
the harvest of our own economic folly"
"But." says Mr.. Thompson Sherman,
and Mr.. Everett P. Wheeler, who are con-
stsntly prgting on the question. 1.-The
building trades need cheap lead" Let
the London Post Of February 4, 1886, an
swer this phase of the question: Even il
the English building trades, which are the
great consumers Of lead. derive all the ad-
vantages they should from the cheaper
foreign metal, the whole thing is q mis-
take from the beginning. The difference
in the price of Spanish and English lead
is about los. (S2 50) per ton. The former
ia quoted at ft2 IS. 1851 25). the latter at
E12 15s. 1862 Isl. Taking the yearly i'm
portation at 100 900 tons only, the matter
stands thus: In order that one section of
the community, the section that builds
and buys houses. shall save some $50, 900
(S250,000) annually. re tap the national
capital to the extent Of 81. 250. 900 (S6, 250.-
O00), every penny of which goes entirely
abroad. We may we'll inquire wherein the
economy of the arrangement lies and what
ia the ultimate benefit the nation as a
whole derives from the cheaper lead of
Spain"
And this ia the simple story OF England's
attempt to secure cheap lead at the ex-
pense Of the British producer.