, 1890-01-01
WANTED FREE TRADE.
A Pittsburg Glassman who has
Decided Opinions.
With Free Raw Materials he
Doesn't Fear Competition,
And Will Pay His Men as Good
Wages as They Now Get.
The Tariff Investigation.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3l.-Although the
ways and means committee has assigned
to day to the hearing OF persons inter.
ested In the manufacture of glass and
esrthern .a-e. The committee first
listened to an argument from X. NJ.
Thompson. OF New York; in favor of the
Tree importation copper intended for ex
portation as refined copper.
Ex-Congressman Brewer of Trenton.
representing the potters, thought all their
trouble grew out of ad valorem duties.
The pottery industry bad never been ad-
equately protected. If something was
not done to check the importation of Ger.
man goods Bohemian wares would have
the markets of the United States within
five years, and American potteries would
have to succumb or reduce wages very
materially.
George A. Macbeth, OF P~ittsburg, is a
"sudiactureer of lamp glass. He man.
ufactured 200 styles of lamp glass and OF
those 200 styles. only twenty were com
peted with by foreign producers. Que of
the principal articles ured in his business
was soda ash and he favored the reduc.
ton on that article. He would take the
duty received from soda ash last year and
buy the soda ash mandatory at
Syracuse four times over. He bought
foreign soda ash and believed he could
manufacture at the rate of sixty cents a
hundred pounds. The present price was
$l.45.
Another ingredient which entered into
his manufacture was carbonate of potash
which bore a duty 20 per cent. There
was not enough or that article in this
country to supply his factory alone. The
increase of duty he argued, would not
cut of the Importation of foreign glass
ware or ~crockery. 1t would make the
reople who wanted that identical kind of
ware pay more for it than now but it
would not prevent its importation. The
only effect would be to increase the price
of 1870 kinds of lamp glass for which he
had no competition. He wished to have
the duties RENTED on soda ash, carbonate
Of potash and lead.
Give me free material or free trade,
such as England has" said Macbeth,
land give me proper products of my la
Dor and | defy any competition on the
face Of the earth"
Mr.. Bayne-''And pay your workmcn
the wages you now pay them2"
"Macbeth-"I will pay him more"
Macbeth then admitted that he at one
time Ne2ptemplated moving his works to
Germany. &c said The SsfBae work
men we're not as skillful as the Americans,
but he f0end it difficult to work with
them. He would haze taxed workmen
from here. Bayne ,szed IF he would
have paid them the wages he pays here
and Macbeth admitted he would not.
His idea in going to Germany was the
cheapness OF material and plant. Ii he had
free trade in his raw material he would
be perfectly willing to have free trade in
his product. The chairman inquired
whether the of lamp chimneys
would have been benefited by allowing
the raw material as we'll as finished pro-
duct TO be admitted free. Mr.. Macbeth
said the difference in price would be
three or four cents a dozen.
Mr.. Gear-"Tbat is TO the retailer:
Would a woman who goes to a store get
it for less?"
Macbeth-"My individual opinion is
that | doubt it,"
Jas. Gillander of Philadelphia said the
lamp chimney mostly used in this country
were manufactured here and sold for less
than the imported %chimneys. The i'm
ported chimney was used principally. or
special lamps and was bought by people
OF means. He didn't want free raw ma
terials and advocated an increase of duty
on various grades OF glass. If his raw
material as well as the finished article
were admitted free, he could not pay the
pre- sent wages and compete with foreign
goods.