The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-01-19

"a 10 busisen are Ansaresr - ihonsanaf
., ishsrsrs aud ~ eaojEpss capital. which
cas- ntvsr be siibdAWn, bot which nusl
4, praapeT uf perish On The trot
IL the ore business Of she Laha sBpe
rief ere region slont. ia tho naisa al
Michiean. Wisconsin asd Mianeso,a, 10
lhe railroads necessary lof removing their
projseis 70 The LAKES, 10 The shipping 20.
gagged 10 liEe transportation, and IN the
ore bstlhess u ne railroads moving ores
iron the lower lake pofts 70 mills ADD fur
nsnes in The iaierior and 10 kdiaoeut
Sisies, there are now employed about
$40. 900 90 q capital With AZ The labor
occupation lhs, the use Of such an amount
~ capital iaciados. 10 other parts Of the
ooanlgy. easl wess anl south, are SIMILAR
ooanteied aud independent industries
whose safety Aud ability to furnish en-
ployment 10 American labor would be
seriously iwpalted Of entirely destroyed
~ The same ~Ay by the removal Of duty
The remoyal or lowering Of duty would
close msny American miBes.
lha, the present rate Of duty, seventy
ave cents per ton, is Insufficient for rea.
sonsble protection 10 capital aud labor D.
gagged IN tbs working add development OF
cur American mines is shown by the
steady add large decrease in importalit rs
About 800 900 tons came from Spain
Africa and Cuba ia 1857. Every ton Of
sbis imported ors displaced q ton OF cur
home production. There il DO question
o. quality involved here. Not only is the
supply OF American ore practically mex
hsustible. but il is iavorsbIy distributed
over the whole country aud every variety
Of chemical constitution and consequen la
tion to all requirements of the iron ard
steel manufacture Of the country I'm
portation Of foreign ores is simply ard
only question OF wages IN the production
here and there.
Our American mines are now competing
directly, and as importations OF 1900 COO
tons las, year shows, uusuccessfully, with
some Of the poorest. paid labor in the
world. Spanish, African and Cuban ores
are produced at labor cost that would
be humiliating aud oppressive to degree
to an American laborer. Such wages we
do not ask him TO accept.
Upon this proposition American iron
ore producers aud American iron and steel
manufacturers substantially agreed at
CFessoD, Penn, in 1882, pending discus
sion Of metal schedule Of the present
tan1 The iron and steel manufacturers,
by unanimous vote, there said that the
duty ought TO be S5 cents per ton, The
consumers Of American ores, therefore, are
not asking for the removal or reduction OF
the dnty The equalization Of labor cost
between foreign and American ores would
require the duty to be at least 81 80 in
stead OF 75 cents.
Iron and steel industries OF the United |
States, for obvious reasons, can never de-
pend upon foreign ore supply. Reliance
for permanently cheap iron and steel to
the American CONSUMER, must always be
upon American ore: That will never fail,
provided the development OF our mines
be not discouraged and retarded by
policy which refuses just and sufficient
in favor Of home interests. |
Iron ore is distinctiyely product of enor
nous combinations Of labor and capital.
rs designation by theorists as raw mate
al neither changes its relations to that ex
pended capital and labor, nor can such
arbitrary and purely constructive classif-
cation to SUIT certain certain theories im
pair its right to the amplest protection.
In view, therefore, of the recited facts
and conditions, in behalf Of the very large
and widely extended interests we repre-
sent, this association begs leave respect
fully to renew its declaration against the
removal or reduction OF duty an iron ore.