The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-04-12
Free Traders getting into tight Boxes.

was arranged between the Home Mar
ket Club and the Revenue Reform
Club of Boston which came off at
fremont Temple, Congressman But
terworth of Ohio representing the
Home Harket Club and Mr.. Il. +.
Wheeler, president of the New York
Free Trade Club, speaking for the
Revenue Reform Club, In the course
of the argument Mr.. Wheeler said =
There is the great Meriden Britannia
Co. They make plated goods of the best
quality. In making these goods they need
nickel. Years ago, when this metal was
discovered in the mines of Austria, the
miners called it nickel because they could
make nothing of it, But our friend, Mr.,
Wharton of Pennsylvania, who happens to
own the only important nickel mine in the
United States, has found way to make
avery good thing out of it. If Congress
had passed law making him duke of
Lancaster and giving him pension of s
90, 900 year, you would all have called it
wicked waste of the taxpayers money,
a heavy burden upon industry, setting
up of privileged class opposed to the
genius of American institutions. But in
all except the name, Congress does this
very thing when it puts so heavy duty
upon nickel that manufacturers are COM
PEELED to pay Mr.. Wharton what he choos-
es to ask for the product of his mines.
Now mark the result. The Meriden Brit
ANNA Co has been obliged to build fac
tory in Canada, where it can get nickel
free of tax, and with the product OF this
it supplies the demand for plated goods in
Canada and in England. All this might
Just as well have been done in the United
States, if it were not for the pension of
$40, 900, more or less, that protective
tariff compels you to pay to Mr.. Wharton.
Now l assert, without fear of contradic-
ton, that if the manufacturers of plated
goods in this country could get their nick
ell free of tax, they could supply the
markets of the world. The demand for
labor would be increased and of necessity
the wages of the laborer would go up.
Now, as Artemus Ward was wont
to say, this sis important if true, y
but it is absolutely false. Mr.. Rad
clyffe, Secretary of the Home Mar
ket Club addressed letter to the
Meriden Company, enclosing Mr..
Wheeler's statement, and asking as
to the truth of the matter. Mr.. Will
COX, president of the company replied
and from which we extract the pith,
as follows:-
AS you are probably aware some years
ago the Canadian government placed quite
large duty on all plated ware brought
into the country, in order to protect hel
own manufacturers. We were practically
excluded, and were obliged to do one OF
two things, either give up our Canadian
trade or start factory there. We die
the latter and with very good results.
Not l cents worth of goods manufac
tured there are exported. They are al
used in Canada and the Provinces. The
question of nickel did not enter into the
problem at all.
All of the materials used by our Canads
factory are furnished to them from Mer
iden, and, of course, this would show
that the reason for starting there coult
not have been on account of getting raw
materials cheaper in Canuda.
Not many years ago all of the nickel
which we used was imported from Eu,
rope at cost of from $l.50 to $500 q
pound. When the nickel mine, owned by
Mr.. Joseph Wharton was discovered the
United Statea government, in order to in
duce hin to work it, placed on nickel 8
duty of % cents per pound. In 1888, un
der the Arthur administration, this was
reduced to 10 cents pound, and the cost
of nickel today is abont Go cents pound
of which ID cents is protective duty. We
use no nickel in it's primitiev state, bat il
forms from 10 to 81 per cent of all the
German and nickel silver which we use
and for every pound we pay 2 IA cents
more than if there was no duty. When
we contrast this small amount with the
price which nickel has been reduced by
reason of the protective tariff, say IS cts
to $1.35 per pound, we are satisfied tc
let the duty remain as it is. If the reno.
val of the duty on nickel would enable us
to get nickel Is cents pound cheaper, il
would make but comparatively little diff.
ference in the cost to ia of our silver pla.
ted goods the principal element of cost
being the amount which we pay for labor.
If, on the other hand, the removal of the
duty should, as it might, result in stop.
ping the production of nickel by Mr..
Wharton, the price of the article would
we think, be increased, as the few foreign
producers could easily combine to en-
nance it.
Mr.. Wheeler made a similar state
ment in reference to the American
Screw Company of Providence, R.
L. and got badly sat down upon by
that company.
| Minister Phelps, Success,