The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-07-09

16T. .......... 6OO,OO d6l
3see. 100000 a20
aSs0. 100000 2.98
-lno. .8,6OO,OOO ass al
Note.-wire nails are now quoted at l95 cents.
The results of Protection in encourag
ing manufactures and by their encour-
1gement in creating competition and
aIhus lessening prices can be seen in this
cable at glance.
Il will be noticed that the duty of one
cent per pound was to some extent
revenue duty, for in the eight years the
met fall of price was only 6s-1O0 cents,
or 1873 per cent. and the production did
not increase over $4,000 kegs. The duty
for the next seven years, however, was
undoubtedly protective, for the price
2sll s 37-10O cents, or 64.5 per cent, and
the annual make increased by 2,150,0O0
kegs. It is also noticeable that quadru-
-paiEg the duty did not raise the price
more than 1-100 of a cent; so that, allow
Ding the utmost that can be claimed, an
addition to the duty of three cents per
pound on $4,000 kegs of 100pounds each,
(which, according to free trade asser-
tions, should have increased the cost to
aponsumers by at least $240,OO0, cannot
-fairly be said to have increased the cost
lover one cent keg, or $500 in the aggre-
gate.
On the other hand, during the last
year of the high tariff, 100000 kegs
were made and sold at $2.95 per keg, or
s3z.O5 per keg less than under tariff not
s1uIly protective fifteen and fourteen
years before. Allowing that the duty
ct one dollar per keg was added to the
~~cost during those two years, the saving
10 the consumers Of this country under
Hhe four cent duty was undoubtedly
B.05 per keg, or for that year alone,
1as, 10000, the only objection to this
line Of reasoning being that it would
have been impossible to sell 2,000,000
-1egs at ten dollars per keg. as there is
sno better ground for supposing that for
.Digners would have lowered the price Of
wire nails while they controlled our
market than that railroad freight rates
should have fallen in England, or that
tho price of tin plates should be reduced
10 MS before our protective tariff in
aacreases production here.
The figures quoted above were shown
10 q native Of Great Britain, who, doing
no manual labor, was almost, of course,
- aFree-trader, and he said that the tariff
had had nothing at all to do with the de-
~Caine in price; that if it had not been for
Ifhe tariff wire nails would have been
Chat much cheaper; that the fall in price
Was entirely due to improvements in
machinery, and to his knowledge thou
uands of dollars had been spent in ex-
YHimental machinery, to the perfection
- which better as well as cheaper
snA1 was due. Wire nails, however, have
1een coming into this country in cases
seontaining foreign merchandise for over
fifty years, but it was not until we had
: y protective tariff on them that any one
could be induced to expend a dollar on
Experimental machinery. And now,
with a production of $500, 900 kegs a
yoH, those who regret that our tariff
Iuevents our competing in the markets
1t the world regret also that our produc-
Sion is not equal to that Of sixteen years
.agpi, 900 kegs.
As some Of our readers have heard, the
GSauty ON tin plates was raised from to22
SCENTS per pound. This attacks British
4ndustry yielding that country at least
3030, ,00O, 900 per annum, including freights
:.und commissions, and great deal has
been said about it, the Free-traders hay
Ing committed themselves fully to the
sznBertion that the addition to the duty
- 1.2 cents per pound will be paid by
American consumers, or that tin will
zuost on an average $1.62 per box more
utter July 1 than before. And as the
Welsh makers, knowing that the cry Of
scombinations and syndicates is never
zEaised in this country against British
masters, have apparently decided to close
F1heir works for a month to reduce the
supply, every effort seems making to
roduce this result, temporarily at least.
It Is a matter Of doubt, however, if
casey will dare to continue the present
officially high prices for any length of
-f1me. Already firm Of London mer-
ss6hants writes to the Welsh makers:
~'The best and only counter move to
4he Mckinley tariff is to reduce and not
1zaase prices. To enable the manufacture
- tin plates to be carried on in the
Ouited States, with their high ratio Of
svalues, margin Of profit must be Great
-, and the object of the new tariff is
~1asarly to provide that margin. EN-
N2Oyers and employed in this old coun-
Try should combine to destroy that arti-
2cial margin and not to make it more
Elective. r
-'Conceivably ten shillings box for
~ plates may yield as good wages Gn
urchasing power and as fair profit
NaEVportionately to general values) as T.
cDsa shillings per box; but ten shillh 70
Gbox would defeat the Mckinley tar