Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-10-29
HARDWARE EXPORTS.

5Gdt0 dUOut 21SV,OVOs A pAcCGy 6OOuI showing for the first year.
 HARDWARE EXPORTS.
 In the year 1888 the United States ex- ported builders hardware to the value of | $1 ,422 ,635, and saws and other tools to the value of S1, ,659, ,727. These goods | were very widely scattered and the amount of them that went to Europe proves the ability of the high-priced American workman to compete with the low-priced foreign workman even at the l 1atter's own door. Of builders hard l ware our exports to several countries were as follows: Great Britain and Ire land, S1s9,2O4; Germany, S112,337 Belgium, S64, ,266 British North Ameri- ca, s3O2, ,5O9; British Australasia, S217,- GOO; Italy, 32,504; the Netherlands, 1S,555; Sweden and Norway, $11.710; Mexico, se9,5s7 Chili, 69,57a; Argen- tine Republic, S51, GOA; Cuba, s51, ,044 Colombia, S4O,717; Central America, S34, ,597; Brazil, $23, 3,564.
 Although the figures are not very large, they are very significant. The fact that we can ship ..these goods even in moderate quantities into all the British markets, even into England herself, and more significant still, into Germany and Belgium, where wages are even lower than in England, generally very much lower, proves that our manufacturers can make these commodities of such qualities that they are universally desir- ed, and at such prices that they find some sale in competition with goods made by lower-priced labor and trans ported much shorter distances.
 For information as to how these ex- ports can be greatly increased, and far more of our people employed in making goods for foreign markets, we will take the advice of President Harrison and go to the men of markets instead of the men of maxims-that is, we will ask manufacturers instead of asking the members of the committee on platform of a political convention.
 J. B. Sargent of New Haven, one of the largest manufacturers of hardware in the country, made an argument in favor of free raw materials and duties on other articles proportioned to their state of manufacture. He said:
 ''I am aware that under this provision very coarse articles of raw materials, such as iron ore, would be duty free, as they ought to be. am also aware that the coarser the article and the nearer the condition to crude raw material, or in other words, the less the labor upon the article, the nearer the free list. But in this way the avowed object of a pro- tective tariff, the protection of Ameri- can labor would be more nearly gained, as the further advanced the article is by the hand of labor the greater is the per- centage of the value of the labor in the article over the percentage of the value when taken in it's crude condition from nature.''
 Three years after this, having in the meantime visited foreign lands with a special view to studying the hardware industries, Mir Sargent made speech in this city in which he said
 
 at their wages rather than the mechanics at Cologne at their wages. The Good Book says: He that does not work neither shall he eat ; there might have been added, And he that does not eat, neither can he work The pauper labor of high tariff continental Europe may need protection from us, but we do not need any protection against that. Our labor is the cheapest"
 MT Sergeant was exporting hardware to Germany, in spite of the German pro- tective tariff, and underselling the Ger man manufacturers in their own home market. A German hardware man ask ed him how he could do that when iron was cheaper in Germany than in America and wages were only half as high. MT Sargent said |:
 "I replied to him, and truthfully, that he evidently did not understand the labor problem at all. I admitted that on account of our higher tariff on iron we were at bad disadvantage in com. peting with him in Germany, but told him, what is also true, that we overcome our disadvantage in the price of raw materials by getting the work done at g lower price per piece than he can pos. sibly get it done in Germany with equal finish. And that is the way we car make the export hardware. It is rather hard on labor, but it is the only way we can get into any foreign market"
 Do the Republicans really want to, crease our exports?
 DR E. A. TowNE, "A Bank street.