The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-09-16
LATEST FREE TRADE TRICK.
Sir. swank on tho Sew England PetitIO
for Free Iron Ore, Coal and Coke.

hr' SWunK on tue NoW EuSlhnu ieNlloL
for Free Icon Ore, Coal and Coke.
New York Tribune.
The New England petition for free
iron ore, coal and coke, and for a reduc'
ton OF the duties on pig iron and scrap
iron and steel to "a per cent I'D valOrem,
is handled with irresistible vigor by Mr.
Swank in the Iron and Steel AssOcia'
TONS Bulletin for September II. 1t il
properly treated rs a tricky lree-trade
attack upon the tariff, emanating no!
from manufacturers OF iron and steel, rs
is pretended, but from owners or mana
gers of foundries, machine shops, tack
and shovel factories, and similar esLab'
lishments, which do not make but buy
iron as their material. The false pre-.
tenco that ore, coal and coke from Can.
ada would help the manufacturers oil
iron in New England is put forward
only to give color TO the petition that
duties on pig and scrap iron he reduced
from So ~ per ton to "a per cent, which
would now, be 50 so per ton. The de.
sired removal Of duties on ore, coal aud
coke, II OF any benefit ut all to New Eng
land producers OF iron, would only affect
its cost to the extent Of g 0G per ton,
while they would on the same supposi.
ton lose So 90 per ton by removal Of
duties on foreign pig iron.
With this disclosure OF the purpose,
which is to get cheap English iron with.
out any regard for American producers
iu New England or anywhere else, Mr..
SWank proceeds to show that "ther0 is
no iron ore in the Dominion Of Canada
that any pig iron manufacturer in New
England would care to import even il
free Of duty" that "very little Nova SEQ
tia coke is suitable for blast furnaces,
and none oft is equal to the best Ameri.
can coke" and that ut is nothing else
than humbug to pretend that the pig.
iron industry OF New England would be
benefited by free ore aud COKE" For
proof two conclusive facts are cited, that
Nova Scotia ore and coke are not used
by Canadians themselves in producing
pig iron, and the New England manu-.
iaCturers during twelve years OF reCi-
proCity never used Canadian ore or
coke. The material which they could
not then afford to use, though it was
free, when pig iron was worth $73 G2
per ton, and in eleven years out Of
Twelve averaged over So per ton at
Pennsylvania works, they certainly
could not afford to use it now, when
Pennsylvania or Virginia pig iron, Of far
better quality than any that Can be
made from Canadian material, Is pur.
Chasable by New England consumers at
SIS per ton or less.
The disingenuous statement about
prostration OF tho iron industry In New
England MI. Swank meets by the official
record that in 1856, ''that blissful period
the war;" there were exactly
twenty-eight rolling mills in all New
England, and there are now thirty that
the production since 1880 has not de-
creased, as Free Traders falsely assert,
but has increased from 100, 700 tons Of
iron and steel in 1880 to 1882
In 1888; and that the ~ill.suCCeSs Of
works which were old in method, i'll.
located, or adapted only TO the produce
ton Of iron rails or nails, is not surpris.
ing when the production OF iron rails has
everywhere, when nail produC.
ton in the natural gas region has out
stripped competition, and when the
newest and best works have difficulty In
competing unless equipped with the
latest machinery and well located.
New England has prollted wonderfully
by the reduction In cost OF pig iron
through protection from over $40 to less
than SEQ per ton. Mr.. Swank believes
that most Of her manufactures are alto.
Vether too shrewd to seek cheaper raw
material again through dependence upon
foreigners. But II they are not, they
must take notice that removal Of duties
on pig and scrap iron would certainly be
accompanied by removal Of duties on
manufactured products. lle says with
force, "The people OF this country will
not permit a tariff schedule TO DO made
for tho sole benefit Of one class Of pro-
iucers. Reduce the duty OF pig iron
And down will come tho duties on every
thing made from 1t. II We arc to have
iree trade In this country we will have
nlsntV Of Il, and New England will get
hi iull share" That is exactly what
Free Traders want, and what genuine
manufacturers In New England do not