Morning journal and courier., 1889-12-28
THE TAR1FR aEAR1ra.

THE TABLE, BEARING.
The House ways and Means Commit-
tee Resume the Considerasion OF the
Tariff General Imboden Creates
q Laugh - He Voted the Dem.
ocratic Ticket With Extreme ReIue.
tance.
WAsHINaroN, Dec. 27.-The House ways
and means committee met promptly and
went to work at 10 o'clock this morning and
listened to statement by O. S. Landers of
New Britain, Conn, ON the subject of table
cutlery. He was satisfied with the provision
of the Senate bill, except in regard to one
feature of the classification The average
duty on table cutlery imposed by the bill
was 50 per cent, and the change in classif-
cation would increase the average to SO 23
cents. The cutlery manufacturers would
have to be protected or they would have to
die.
Mr.. Clerk Fisher of Trenton, N. J., advo-
Gated duty Of S.10 cents pound upon
anvils, about two.thirds of which article used
in the United States, he said, were imported.
Forty years ago, when he first went into BUSH
ness, there were twenty-five anvil firms in
the country. Now they had become extinct
with three exceptions. To lower the duty
would have the effect of wiping out these
three establishments.
Mr.. William O. Cronmeyer Of Pittsburg,
Pa, described the unsuccessful efforts of
plates at profit.
In response, to queries by Mr.. Burrows, Mr..
Cronmeyer said that to manufacture box Of
tin plate in this country costs about $3.50,
while in England it could be produced at
$S.25. The present duty was not a proteo-
tive one. but that proposed by the Senate
bill, while not as high as it ought to be, had
the merit of being protective.
George I. Oliver, representing the manu-
factursrs of wire rods and wires, addressed
the committee. He was well satisfied with
the existing tariff on everything except wire
rods. On this material he advocated a
specific duty of 6-10 cents q pound, on rods
not smaller than No. 5 wire guage, and Of
one cent pound on rods smaller than No. s.
After short recess F. J. Slade, Trenton,
N. j., addressed the committee on the sub
ject Of structural iron. The price for iron
beams to-day was 8 1-1O cents a pound.
When he went into the business twenty
years ago the price was about double that.
In response to a question by Mr.. Flower,
Mr.. Slade stated that there was combina-
ton among the producers of structural iron,
but he denied that the profits of the business
were too large.
for his section of country, favored the reten-
ton of the duty on coal and iron ore. In
fact, he felt that it would be wise policy to
increase that duty. He described the
growth of the coal, iron and railroad indus.
try in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, and
commended that all this industry would be
imperilled if coal were placed on the free
list. Having stated that the coal from the
Virginia coal fields was sold in the West In
= oy.l nkvnI Me- 1vo1, NlA
asked by Mr.. Carlisle whether if that were
true the Virginia coal producers could not
compete in their own country with the Nova
Scotia coal.
Mr.. Imboden responded in the negative
and declared that an abolition of the duty
would ruin the coal industry of Virginia. He
then proceeded to argue 10 support of re-
tanning the duty on iron ore. He represent.
ed not skilled labor, but unskilled labor. He
(Gen. Imboden) was protectionist; he had
always been one, and he believed that if in
the South there could be square and fair
vote on the protection issue without any ex-
traneous issues, the protectionists would
overwhelmingly carry at least four or five
southern States. The North had been made
rich by protection; it was now the oppor.
tunity of the South to become rich.
Mr.. Flower, of New York, inquired in
reference to the remark az to the elections in
the South, whether Mr.. 1mboden meant thai
the color line had to be drawn and that the
gentleman had to vote against his senti
ments.
Mr.. Imboden-We are compelled to stand
| together there under certain conditions. Tit
tariff sinks into insignifcance. In the re-
| cent election 1 voted, with extreme reluct
ance, the Democratic ticket, but I did it.
Uaughter).
O. N. Hitohings of Maryland, coal oper
ator, who formerly mined in Wales, testi
| fed that If the duty was taken off coal tn
WEIGH coal could not be kept out of tn,
country. He stated that the wages received
in Wales were not nearly as large as tn
miner received in this country, and although
clothing was cheaper abroad, the homes o
the workingmen were not half as comfort
able. There was no comparison between tn
condition of the British and American miner
James A. Sloane of Maryland, also a prac
tical miner, urged that no change should b
made in the duty on coal. 1t was a matte
of bread and butter to the people whom b
| represented. He did not wish the wages o
the Maryland miners should be reduced
the Scotch or Nova Sootian standard.
John Fatkin of Maryland, another minel
followed in the same line and protests
against a reduction of duty on coal.
John P. Otterson, of Allegheny, advocate
an increase of duty on snamelled iron. TIL
committee then adjourned until tomorrow
when sugar refiners will be heard.