The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-09-01


Beginning with the potteries, which
are especially important to many voters
in New Jersey, il should be said that
complete table OF wages in thirteen
kinds OF work in that State and Great
Britain has been quoted from the census
volume, us to this industry, in prefer
ence to other statistics which are less
complete as TO male workers. But the
latter give wages OF women, lads and
Urls. who are about oue-third oil the
workers in this industry, and will there
fore be separately examined hereafter.
The Mills bill cuts down duties from 10
TO 80 per cent on decorated ware, from
IS to 30 per cent on plain china, and
from So TO 81 per cent on common
crockery. Yet il IL pretended that the
proposed duties will more than cover
a difference in wages" which exceeds
ITO per cent, according to the New Jer-
sey quotations.
The paper manufacture is another
which reduced duties would affect. The
Mills bill would cut down duties from
% to 90 per cent on paper hangings,
from 20 to 10 per cent on sized and from
10 to y per cent on unsized paper. Yet
the difference in wages between this
country and Great Britain is sl.3 per
cent. To the mind OF a Democratic
statesman duty OF l2 to 20 per cent
''more than covers" a difference Of over
so per cent in wages. In cotton goods
average duties OF 10 per cent are pro.
posed, and ad Yalorem duties that evasion
and fraud may be more easy; the diIler.
ence in wages in the principal OCcupa-
tons OF this manufacture is $3.50 per
cent. In the silk manufacture
the duties are only 80 per cent; the
difference in wages is 81 per cent in the
occupations which can be compared.
The car-makers sec il proposed to cut
down duties on carriages OF all kinds
from IS to 80 per cent, but their wages
are 5s.7 per cent higher than in Eng
land. The carpet-workers in this State,
Pennsylvania and Connecticut will be
especially interested to see that Mr..
Mills cuts down duties OH foreign cur
pets from AGA to 40 per cent, pretend
ing that 40 per cent is enough to "cover
the difference in wages" which appears
from official tables to be IS per cent.
The Mills bill does not put iron ore on
the free list, only because Mr.. Cleve-
lands friends did not dare to treat pro-
ducers in Southern States as they treated
producers Of copper in Michigan, or OF
Iumberin that State and Wisconsin, or OF
salt in New York. The duty on orc is
but Il per cent, while the difference in
wages OF miners between this country
and Great Britain is lll.9 per cent.
The bill reduces the duty on pig
iron, now $3.50 per cent, to about so
per cent, while the difference in wages
in iron furnaces is j5.6 percent, so that
the advantage offered TO foreign pro-
ducers is not large. But producers OF
pig iron cannot live unless the manu-
facture thrives, and the bill reduces
about one.eighth the duties on bar iron,
now only 50.79 per cent, although the
difference in wages between this coun-
try and Great Britain is 77.2 per cent.
A still more ugly blow is intended in
placing tin plates on the free list, Of
which the imports are already over $685.
100000 pounds, and in reducing from
S4.33 to 90 per cent the duty on steel
rails, the difference in wages in these rs
in other rolling mills being 7.2 per cent.
These comparisons suffice to show
that the Mills bill does not ''more than
cover the difference in wages between
this country and Great Britain, as Free
Traders pretend. 1t was deliberately in
tended not to protect, and therefore it
gives the foreign producer the advantage
Of every industry OF which wages have
been examined. With wages in lO2 oc-
equations 9qper cent higher.in this coun-
try than in Great Britain, us official
records show, could there be n more i'm
pudent pretenCe than that duties aver.
aging 40 per cent on dutiable articles,
with several hundred articles placed on
he free list, will more than cover the
Inference in wages" between this and
1ther countries?