The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-10-20

He does not care to have copper tubes
finished with nickel-plate. He demands
a plain, inexpensive article, such as the
American manufacturer would not turn
out for home consumption. Mr.. Edwards
gives it as his experience that wherever
American exporters have been able to
establish a footing on foreign soil for
our manufactured wares it has been
through varying or modifying their
ufactures to suit foreign tastes and to
meet the requirements of foreign GUS
toms laws. 1t follows that the wares
sold for export are manufactured for
foreign account, and are not of the same
grade, quality, style or finish as those
manufactured and sold for home con-
sumption. Thus, the discount offered
in the foreign market is upon an article
which would not sell at all In the Amer
lean market.
Another statement is from C.. S. Lar
rabee, an American gentleman who has
charge of a machinery-impOrting house
in Germany, and who is thoroughly
familiar with the whole subject. He
gives it as his opinion that no machinery
of any kind manufactured in the United
States is sold for export cheaper than at
home. The following extract from his
letter is of interest:
If any goods are sold abroad cheaper they
are not up TO the quality of domestic con-
sumption goods. or they are sold under a
contract or large quantity, and the same
IN mud IN Inr hAn.n notlA
be bought at the same price. l don't be-
heve agricultural machinery to-day could
be sold abroad lower than 1t is in the States
without material loss. There may be arti-
Giles that can be bought for export cheaper.
L aliude TO patented articles on
which large royalties are paid. | am
aware that patentees having no patent
abroad remit their royalties for q small
sum for export goods. This may, on some
machinery, make quite a difference. but it
does not prove our patent law to be bad,
Tor the very consumers who pay these roy
alties owe their existence to our. patent
laws. Bismarck saw that to make Ger
many a great country he must adopt that
which had made America great. and in the
face OF much opposition made the country
accept protection and gave it q patent law
In 1877. and from that time dates German
progress. and all thinking men in Germany
now acknowledge that their great prog
ress in industrial undertaking. which has
In q few years made them such powerful
competitors to England, Is entirely owing
to these two factors. Were we to open our
doors to-day to German competition our
wOrkmen wOul have to content them
selves with what circumstances force Ger
nan labor to accept-50 cents q day for
their labor.
This gentleman says that the only in
stance that has occurred in his own ex-
perience of a larger discount being
given to the foreign trade than to the
home trade was one in which the mani
f~acturer stated that in selling goods in
the United States he had to guarantee
their quality, and if any proved not up
to the mark he had to exchange them,
and for that reason goods manufactured
for domestic consumption cost more
than those manufactured for export.
All the evidenc e goes to show that in no
instance are American manufactures of
the same quality and finish sold abroad
cheaper than they are at home.