Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-28


about this country. Still L think it would
be good policy to subsidize steamship lines
between South America and this country
for the general good that it would do,
though the South American people would
have to be born again before 1t would
bring any additional trade to us.
MARSHALL FIELDS VIEWS.
Very different from some other Chicago
business houses of vastly less Importance is
the wholesale drygoods house of Marshall
Field & Co. Among the many busy men
| at Marshall Fields none is more unpreten-
| tious in appearance or more unassumlng In
manner than Mr.. Field himself He talks
directly and to the point in the most busl-
ness-like way.
81 can tell them what's the matter" said
Mr.. Field. "We have built up tariff wall
so high that the South Americans can't
come in, and Congress is building it higher,
and yet we wonder WHY they don't come In.
| By reason of the tariff we have made prices
higher than the prices of European goods
and yet we wonder WHY the South Amerl-
cans buy from the Europeans rather than
from US. That's why our goods are e1-
cluded from the South American markets.
'What remedy would you suggest
"The tariff should be reduced. That is
the first step. Then every means should be
taken by the Government to Increase the
facilities for transportation and commercial
intercourse with the South American
nations. The tariff is the chief obstacle In
the way.
PRODUCTION COSTS MORE.
"We tax imports until the cost of living
in this country is SO high that we have to
pay so much higher wages that il costs us
one-third more to produce goods than it
costs in Europe. What we need is a gen.
eral reduction of the tariff all around"
"Do you think that the tariff should be
wholly taken off?''
'No. 1 am a protectionist. The tariff
should be reduced and not increased, said
Mr.. Field, placing special emphasis on the
last three words.
about to what extent do you think it
should be reduced?"
THAT l cannot venture to say. 1t would
take a commission of the wisest men In
the United States years careful study to
determine where and to what extent changes
should be made. The tariff law should be
made for the people and not for the benefit
of individuals"
"What do you think of the policy Of sub
sidizing steamship lines between this coun-
try and South American"
81 think it would be good policy if we
were in proper condition for it. As it is
now you can run all the ships you want and
it won't do any good. You can bring the
South Americans up to this country and
take them around, and have dinners for
them, and have all the fue talk you want,
but it won't do any good. We can't per-
suade them to buy from US so long as we
charge them one-third higher prices than
European merchants are asking. They are
too bright people for that"
DOESN'T AGREE WITH HIM.
Mr.. r. NJ. Fair, Mr.. Fields Superintend-
ent. did not wholly agree with the senti-
ments expressed by his employers. He said
no matter how greatly the facilities for in
tercourse with South American States might
be increased, it could not benefit the firm
of Marshall Field s. Co., because their
business was wholly in another direction
that is. taking the goods of Eastern,
Southern and European manufacturers and
selling them in the West. He had no fault
to find with our present tariff and thought
that it would be a good idea for the Gov
eminent to subsidize steamship lines to
republics in the Southern hemisphere. In
his judgment what the country most
needs just now is foreign markets for
its products and anything that wonld in
crease the foreign market he was in favor
of.
The firm of Fraser & Chalmers, extensive
manufacturers OF mining machinery, created
sensation by announcing a short time age
that they were about to establish branch |
factory in England to manufacture goods |
for their foreign customers. Speaking for |
that firm, Mr.. Fraser said this evening he
could not see what good it would do to SUBJ
sidize steamship lines to South America.
We were at the same time prohibiting the
in. portation of goods which the South
Americans had to sell to us.
= REASONS FOR GOING TO ENGLAND.
THAT brings us to the tariff" said he,
land when you talk of reducing the tariff
the American workman says you are knock
ing him out, The subsid;zing of steamship
lines might cause the importation of some
kinds of American goods, but whether it
would be advantageous on the whole 1 do
not know"
Mr.. Fraser said that the chief reason for
branch factory in England is
to escape the effect of prejudice which is
found to exist in foreign markets against
OF American manufacture.
His firm shipped considerable goods to
South America, and their shipments to the
eastern parts of that continent were made
by way of Liverpool. 1t took considerable
time, but no great amount OF Inconvenience
had been experienced. His South Ameri-
can trade had been built up, as he termed
it, by hustling. The firm sent out statesmen
from Chicago, who visited the mines and
then went directly to the parties financially
In them.