Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-03-05
RELIGION AND THE TARIFF.
A Writer in the New York Evan
gelist Discusses Economics
Inielligently.
He Lucidly Exposes anOld Fallacy
About Duties and
Prices.
Calico, Cotton and Nails Used for
Purposes Of Explanation
A Strong Letter.
A Strong Letter.

We extract the following from a letter
of S. D. Chamberlain, of Toledo, in the
New York Evangelist of January 20. 1t
is good sign to see our religious press
giving space to industrial matters, and we
are glad to note further that the matter is
of the right sort:
cit is claimed by some economists that
whatever import duty is laid upon an
article or class of articles, the cost of such
article is enhanced to the consumer by
just that much Let us consider yard of
calico. find Ga yards of common calico
weigh pound. turn to the New York
Journal of Commerce and see cotton quot
ed to IL cents average, say, 915. Then
the cost of the cotton in yard of this cali
co is about cent and half To this add
freight to the factory, preparation for
spinning, the spinning weaving, print
ing, finishing, packing, jobbers' commits
sions, freig hts and retailers profits, and
the goods are retailed here in Toledo at 5
cents a yard, and 81 cents yard pays all
these changes. On this class of goods the
duty is cents cents the square yard.
Nov let US try yard of unbleached
cotton yard square. | find upon trial a
yard of this goods weighs seven ounces;
the cotton at 8 cents pound costs 81
cents. Here again comes lot of expense
ending with its delivery to the retailers,
who retail it here at cents yard-a
margin of 215 cents covering all expenses.
The outy on these goods is 211a cents.
Next let us try key of nails. l find
that it costs in the Michigan iron region
about $14 to produce ton of pig iron.
In the process of converting this pig iron
into bar iron the loss is about Is per cent.
Thus it appears that the cost of material
in 100 pounds of nails at the pig iron fur
mace is about "a cents; 10d nails are sold
here at $205 a key; spikes and large nails
at lower figures. Here, now, is margin
of 81 q, out of which to pay freight, fuel:
labor, rolling mill charges, key, commits
sions and retailers profits. The duty on
these nails is Sit was .25.
"Now let us consider key of 10d wire
nails, and the cost of raw material is the
same These nails are sold here at 1915
a keg Of 100 pounds; the duty 81; it was
81 Now, shall we be told that, but for
these duties, we should buy the calico at
at p cent yard, one-third the cost of the
raw cotton; the unbleached goods at 81
cents, the cost of cotton, the lOd cut nails
at q cents keg; the 10d wire nails at Is
cents, or cents less than the cost of the
pig iron?
The government must have revenue, and
submit whether the present tariff law
Mckinley blll-does not embody more OF
the principle Of voluntary contributions
than any revenue system that has ever
been devised, inasmuch as nobody is COM
PEELED to contribute who does not chose to
do so.
''On the other hand, if anybody chuses
to indulg e in costly wines and fragrant
tobaccos, silks, laces, jewelry and other
costly fabrics of foreign production, let
him dance if he will and pay the piper.