Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-10-24
The Farmers Plow.

Inc Farmers Pl0W.
In the United States consular re-
port issued by the Department oil
State on the 9th of the current month
our consular agent at London, Ont.
shows that the Oliver chilled pillow
made at South Bend, Ind. is sold in
Ontario in quantities for $40 each
and retailed at $12. The price at the
factory in quantities is $14, and the
American farmer pays SIG. The Syr.
acuse pillow retails at $1l or S12 in
Ontario and at $l4 to SIG at home
The South Bend pillow retaiIs at 81
in Ontario and S14 at home, and the
consular agent innocently adds: 1T
is pleasing to observe how cheaply
our manufacturers must be able to
turn out these goods, considering that
the Canadian duty on them is 35 per
cent ad valorem."
To make the case quite clear for
the public the agent gives the follow
ing table:
Price at which pillow is sold in Canada $40 90
Duty at IS per cent nd valorem and
Profit to Canada dealer probably. so
Leaving actual cost TO manufacture
plow..... D w
Retaied to American farmer at........ Is 90
Profit to manufacturer on all home
sales..... .............................- III w
These figures furnish an excellent
basis for the agents suggestion that
the American farmer would do well
to purchase his pillow in Ontario. He
would save money in doing so as the
following table shows:
Price Of plows at retail in United
States. ............................... sl6 90
Price OF same in Canada. Sl2 90
Freight TO return same to United
States tduty Is free on Ameri-
can goods returned ..".-....... 90
Profit to American farmer by pur-
chasing American made pillow in
canada ................................... w
Showing still further the exorbit-
ant prices the American farmer pays,
the consular agent calls attention to
the fact that plows with tempered
steel mould boards and beams,
which sell in the United States for
SIT and upwards, are made in Canada
from Pittsburgh steel on which du-
ty has to be paid by workmen who
receive substantially the same wages
as workmeD in the United States and
are sold at $40 at retail. The Amer
lean manufacturer makes, therefore,
So more on pillow than the Canadian
without taking into ac-
count the freight and duty on steel.
And it is the American farmer who
pays the difference. AS to other i'm
plements the agent adds:
| am credibly informed by very
prominent Canadian farmer that he
has just bought an American self
binding reaper walter A. Woods
for $40, laid down in an American
city, near the lines, while the price of
the same machine in the same place
to an American farmer would be from
$3.50 to $40.
In addition. to the larger imple-
ments mentioned, farmers or agricul
tural hardware imported from the
United States consists of light shelf
goods, dry paints, and agricultural
hand tools, such as spades, shovels,
forks, etc., on which articles the duty
varies from 80 to 20 per cent, al
though the printed tariff reads only |
from 30 to 80 per cent. This govern
ment has, however, instructed its GUS
toms officers to advance prices on in
voices in certain lines. On scythes,
for instance, by means Of a specific
and ad valorem duty they have to
pay from go to 20 per cent.
Notwithstanding these tremendous
charges a careful comparison of the
and retail prices of the
above tools show that in all cases
American goods of this character can
be bought in Canada as cheap, and,
in some cases, cheaper than in the
United States. 1t is concusively prov
en- by these facts that the American
farmers are not receiving the full ben
FIT of the low prices ut which these
goods can be produced in the United
States.
These benefits are, apparently, re-
served for the Canadians and other
foreigners to whose markets we export
goods. But existing conditions en-
able the American manufacturer to
compel the purchase of his goods by
he American farmer at exhorbitant
profits.
When the American farmer is next
.sked, therefore, what protection
means. he can tell his interlocutor
hat it means the payment by the