Telegram-herald., 1890-04-23
FREE RAW MATERIALS
TrE EFFEcT uPoN Qua nlhaso
RsoUsTaEs Aho AlNERs.

Resources CoeI and LFon are tae two
+ products * cor n1inss which are Of tbs
/ sEs4gsst Ia poFtzace. BESIDE Ihese, cop
per. leads Elnc. hnessoas sad EAs various
structural n2tsEiALs req 2iIs IA shs ssgEs-
gate Tor Sheir PEOd1cLbcn large invest
nnsnts Of esP.tzI. and mach labor. Coal
and iron are u thls ia laportance from their
I general use. their wide extent, the large
s1aO0ns or capital aad labor engaged II
their productioa, Aad thsir relation 70
ths manufacturing industries, since shey
are essential 10 the carrying CO Of Ha-
nsroas manufacturing operations.
IN great part the labor which hnds
employment IA the various mining in
dastrles, Ike that engaged IA the pro
/ daction q other raw materials. Is IN
ssiIlsd and rude. Ii "a estimated upon
careful authority thar 50 per cent. Of al
engaged IA manual occupations are en-
/ ployed IN labor which requires q mini
mum, or only moderate, degrees OF skill
Il IS this labor, more than any other,
/ that needs the protecting care Of govern
unsnt Tue disparity Of wages between
the skilled labor Os the United States
and the skilled labor Of Eaglend Is much
less noticeable than the difference he.
tween the wages OF common labor IN the
same countries.
bituminous coal and iron ore each
bear duty Of Is cents psr ton. An
thracite coal is admitted free of all duty,
the annual importation amounting to
bat few thousand dollars in value
This anthracite coal too, which feels no
lnhusncs OF a protective duty, is the one
WITH which a great trust Is concerned.
BiEuminous coal. protected ty a duty OF
10 cents per ton, is On--9rasively free
from attempts artlfcia Y to limit the
supply and arbitrarily 10 hx prices. We
have scarcely more than made a begin
ming OF developing our almost hmitless
deposits of iron and coal. The wide ex-
tent Of these two minerals, often in close
proximity. together with limestone, rem
ders their development peculiarly ad-
vantageous. Our total production of
iron ore in 1895. in round numbers,
amounted 70 10000. 900 long tons Of ego
pounds each.
Ia the same year our imports Of iron
ore were ! 900, 900 long tons. Though the
amount imported il small, if we con-
slider the value Of this raw ore when
brought 10 the American markets, we
see that a great amount Of wealth goes
10 foreign countries in the purchase Of a
commodity the sources of which are
nearly inexhaustible with US bat not vet
fully developed. This money. too, rep
rsseuts in a large measure wages which
would 20 To American laborers If the
iroa were taken from our own mines;
n large portion of the value OF iron
Gre ready 70 be shipped or 10 be smelted,
is the cost ot the labcr expended upon it,
The total production Of ntuminous coal
for the same year. exclusive of cOllierS
consumption, was SO, ,9s5. .73z tons of :, 900
pounds each. Tne value OF this product
at the mines was %sJ,JJt. go. Our i'm
ports OF coal for the same period were
less than million tons. This is rela-
lively small, and indicates a healthy
condition Of our coal mining industry
II we stop 10 consider the low value of
coal per ton a. the surface of tho mines.
and the large ratio 20 this value which
the customs duty of IS cents per ton
bears, we may imagine what would be
the importation il this tariff were re-
moved, and the same remark might
properly have been made Of the produc-
ton of iron ore.
IL the duty were removed, for time
we would have both coal and iron cneaD-
er than now; mat is. for a time long
enough TO divert the labor and capital. or
a part Of il, from the mining Of coal aud
iron. and then prices would rise again
with ths increased demand made upon
foreign producers. With the present
duty the competition OF foreign coal pro-
ducers is not such as seriously to affect
our coal interests, with the exception OF
some local districts. Under the existing
tariff the opening Of mines IL growing
steadily. and in some localities rapidly.
and viii increase still more with enlarged
facilities for cheap transportation. Great
Britain ships coal both TO the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts. Nova Scotia exports
% the Atlantic coast. Australia and
British Columbia car pay the duty Of s5
cents per ton. and stu give disastroas
competition u the coal producers Of Cal.
ifornia and the state Of Washington.
This composition efficiently re.ards the
development of the coal mires along the
Pacific coast. and these are the local dis
tricts seriously affected By competition
ID coal production,
Thsre il hardly a state OF the south
tbaE has not al abundance OF iron ore,
and likewise ~ coal end limestone
These resources are comparatively uuda-
veloped. although there is now maai-
Tested a greater tendency 20 make use
of thsu. It seems taat scarcely any
present sacrifCe can Be too great If. bT
means of II. the opening Of these mines
can De secured. When once ore - pro
duced IN sufficient quantities, and smelt-
ed in the same region % avoii the g or
81 cost per tou for transportation N
northern markets. there vii - a large
demand for southern coal With the
development Of these Two mining indus
tries. with the furnaces and factories
thers vii come a strong demand for
Iaborsrs. ard these laboFsrs viii make a
market for southern agricultural prod
ucts
The resultant diversiicstion Il indus
ny. which = one great end Of a prossc-
tive tariff. viii snow itself IN the general
prosperity q southern industries. Labor
= whsfevsr kind and value VII and
rsadT employ meBs and capital a. ample