The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1888-02-23
High Protection, Not
High Wages.
Newark Advocate.

newark AQNCcdtS-
One of the stock arguments in
trade of The high protectionists is,
tnat by means of thu high pro-
lection that any particular indus
try enjoys, it is enabled 10 pay
higher wages to its employees,
.han are paid in non protected
industries. This looks very plaus-
ible, at first sight, and, it has
doubtless deceived a great many
people, who have not investigat
ed the subject for themselves
But, while it NAV seem plausible
IN theory, it is false in fact. For.
The fact is just The reverse. The
fact is that the best wages, as a
rule in this country, are paid by
non protected industries; and one
fact is worth thousand theories.
We find striking illustration of
the fact tina. non-protective in
dustries pay the best wages, in
The case of two large conirasted
industries, that are very intimate
" connected: Salt making, that
ENJOYS protective tariff OF near
ly 1908, and meat packing has
no protection at sll.
The salt making business in
This country has $S.225.Co0 CAPT.
fal invested IN it, and employs
altogether 4,2s9 persons. The
meat packing business has inves-
ted IN it s49,4l9,0o5. and employs
27.297 persons. The total wages
paid out by the salt manufactures
are 1880, 900 year, and the an
nual product of salt is 29.SO5.0o0
bushels valued at 81, ,S25. 900. The
total wages paid out by the meat
packers are $40, 2GS,00O year;
they cut and pack 1e,0o0.00o
hogs. 1928 OoO sheep and 1850
500 beeves-totaI 100000 ami
mails, and the total value of the
meat packed is sos, 3,562, 600 a
year.
Salt-making has the benefit OF
a high protective tarlif-neariy
IOO96 on foreign saIt-but meat
packing has to manage 10 live
without such favors. The mark
ed difference in the magnitudes
of the two interests will attract
attention. Meat packing has SIX
times as much capital invested
in it as sail making has; it en-
ploys six times as manv persons;
II pays ont eight times as much
in wages 1t uses a hundred times
as much material in value, and it |
turns out an annual product sew
euty-five times as valuable. Ii
the value of the diary prodnct of
the country-T7O,0 ,000.000 pounds
of butter and 20,O0O.e00 pounds
of ofcheese-dependent also on salt
we're added to that of The packed
meat product, the salt business
would sink into a still lower in
significance in the comparison.
The comparison between the
two industries conspiculouslv re-
fntes the theory that The tariff
keeps up the wage rate of the
American Iaborer. The 4.2s9
persons employed il making pro-
secfed salt receive 81 ,e60.0Oo a
year, in wages, which is 1927 per
hand and The 27.a97 persons
in unprotected meat
are paid si0,50S,Ooo.
which is 1884 per hand. The un
protected meat packers, there
fore. pay their hands an average
of 33% hi-her than the projected
salt manufacturers pay theirs.
When the salt maker gels The
1009s duty, which the tariff Ia
gives him, instead Of giving it toI
o. dividing it with his hands, he
puts the whole of it III his pocket.
He also sends salt across The Ii he
to Canada, and sells it cheaper
than TO American consHmers.-
He has emily formed trust to
limit production and keep up
prices Oh "lhis prime necessity of
life.r