New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-16
EXPORTING BOILER TUBES
A MIsFIr PREFERABLE ARGUMENT.
A PRACTICAL MAN SHOWS THE FALLAoY OF AN

A PRACTICAL MAN SHOWS THE FALLACY OF AN
ANr1PRoTEcTIoN EDITORIAL
Much amusement has been afforded to boiler tube
makers in this, neghborhood by the effort OF Tho
New-York Times, through an editorial, TO convince
its readers that one American industry would fare
better with free trade than with protection. The
fauacy and absurdy Of the proposition will be
apparent upon reading tho article published on
Friday, which as follows:
II American pluck and ingenuity sell boiler tubes
made OF English the English market after paying
freight both ways ard 10 per cent on the raw material
IL IS pretty plain that that industry manage Itself
better Congress can manage 1t. That IS what the
Tyler Tube Works Of Boston have just done, having
shipped COO boiler tubes the Babcock Wilcox Com
pany Glasgow. this Is only part Of the story.
without the 10 cent which the Government retains
imported goods when they reexpored OF the
American manufacturers would be Just much better able
TO compete markets. without the forty five
cent at present rates. be paid steel
when used for goods sold in this country they could be
sold just much cheaper here the quantity made would
more labor would be employed and every ono
would benefted-in short the exactly opposite effect
would secured from that produced by protective
tariff"
President F. II. Flagler, of the National Tube Works,
IS one Of the most experienced men in the business
and thoroughly acquainted with the foreign steel
and trade. Tie is, therefore, authority on the
subject. When be the editorial and the dispatch
upon which II based he said: The frcetrade
papers Of this country making great talk about
that shipment OF boiler tubes, and using III as an arS
ment in favor Of their pet doctrines. The fact about
those Steel tubes is just this: The Tyler Tube Com
pany started business little year ago to manu-
acturc special line of tubes and failed, the concern
now being in the hands of an assignee The material
they purchased was of kind for which there was
little demand in this country. Besides that, the par
ties through whom these boer-tube strips were I'M
ported, refused 10 deliver the goods TO Tylers COM
pany without being paid for them, and consequently
The steel lay there unproductive. The Babcock &
Wilcox Company. having boiler shop In Scotland,
a way to utilize the material and buy some tubes
cheap, and It suggested that the only the man.
ufacturcrs could get their money out Of the Boston
people to make the strips up into tubes and dis
pose of them at the first opportunity. This in
order FOR tubes sufficient repair two boilers in
ttcamcr az Glasgow.
FOREIGN COMPETITION DID IT
." 1t was to foreign competition in a great meas
that the failure of the tube works due and
Tylcrs talk about the reduction per furnace being
largely in in this country to that of the for
cign countries Is entirely erroneous, the manufact-
uicrs of England and Germany have equal facilities
today with this country in producing the arti-
cie With The advantages of quality, quantity OF pro-
ducton and lower rates OF labor. Mr. Tyler says:
our production per furnace which is largely in
o. that OF the foreign houses is important factor in the
ml;ter, and II relieved from the 10 per cent
which the Government retains OF duties would be
perfectly cOnGne ourselves exporting
business. The English trades unions powerful
influence in that that the production day
is limited and permitted exceed certain number
Of Here in America, however, the trades unions
have apprccabe power, least in this OF the
country. and manufacture per day large amount
as Is possible. Thus while sometimes produce
many twenty tons day, furnace in England pro-
ducng five is doing well. Besides, have better
appliances and efficient labor and it is thus that
enabled TO compete.
1T IS very strange that W. P Tyler, of the defunct
firm of tube makers. whose experience does not eX-
tend fifteen eighteen months, should be quoted
authority the tube business. while men
who have been In the business thirty years are ls
rorcd. The fre-tradr organs try 10 make out that
Of gGe to Be og great &c over e t9c
In regard to the statement that American manufact-
erroneous German manufacturers can lay steel
tubes down here. after paying the duty on them,
are actually doing now. Tho steel ina; these tubes
are made OF can be produced In Europe az III per
ton, while here IL costs exactly S33 per ton
LOW WAGES PAID IN EUROPE.
That is account Of our higher rates of labor l
have been through these countries and know from act
ua experience of what speak. found in Belgium
puddlers charging 600 pounds to the heat In the fur
naccs which Is 100 pounds than the Amalga-
mated Society Of IronwOrkers Will permit man to
charge his furnace with here. Not only do they
charge pounds per heat but they also work six
leafs per day. against five IN this country. The
puddcr earns there about 81 rs per day, against
the price which pay here, 50 so over there they
work twelve hours day In England saw them
putting up some building, and the English ironwork-
cis sat by and saw German made Orders and beams
going up while they had no work TO do. That's what
free trade did for them The Germans can underscll
the English hight in their own market and While Eng
Isb Worl1mcn are Idle the German ironwOrkers have
plenty Of work
dining back to the tube trade. there thirty
manufacturers in the United states. out of all that
number there grc only six factories running to-day in
I'm, country. Tubes are being imported in another
namc In many instances they passed through the
customs a. second hand" on which tnr duties are
scrap rates. The tubes are filed with lime and
one OF the ends damned up and the pipe looks like
oh iron. Once past the Custom House. the broken
end IS cut of the lime washed out aud the tube sold
p now material which it really is, and in competition
with American Manufacturers