Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1891-04-24
THE PREF OF MONOPOLY.
HOW M'KlNLeY DEALT WITH THE
PIANO MAKERS.

The Makers Of Felt. Ivory Keys, strings
aud Actions Get Their Mckinley Plums.
A Specimen Case OF Tariff Greed.
Piano making is one of the few indus
tries Of this country which are indifcr-
ent to protection and care nothing for
foreign competition. While nominally
protected. the manufacturers are entirely
independent of tariff benefits. Of course
there has always been a tariff upon
pianos, but not ut the solicitation of the
manufacturers. Where n new tariff has
been introduced the duty has been re
tanned, more ON account of general prin-
Ciples than because the manufacturers
have invaded the halls of congress. de
manding protection for an "infant in
dustry." In no hearings on the tariff
have they appeared and demanded an
increase. or even "a retention of old
duties. On the contrary, they have re
lied upon their own skill and enterprise
for protection, and the result has justi-
fled their course, for more pianos have
been exported every year than have been
imported, and we have sen: some Of our
best productionsto the greatest musical
country of the world-Germany herself.
We began To manufacture pianos over
ninety years ago. The industry has
grown rapidly, the production last year
being double what it was ten years ago.
Last year we made about 1000 pianos,
and 1t is estimated that since 1890 we
= have made 100000 The census re
turns Of 1890 are not yet published, but
u is estimated that We now have POO fac
tories engaged in turning out pianos or
parts used in thcm-such n keys, wirc..
actions, etc The estimated capital Of
these factories Is $4,000 coo, employing
10000 worllncn 40 wages of 81, 800, 900 IA
year. using - 600. 900 worth of material,
and turning ont product worth sls, 900.
COO. New York alone has about two
thirds Of the factories, Massachusetts,
ranking next
While the piano industry has no in
terest in protection for itself. prutcc-
ton lays numerous burdens upon that
industry In fact il i, made prey to
tine greed Of several minor industries
which have. under the Mckinley law,
higher protection than ever before.
These increased duties arc specimen
tricks ia tine new tariff law, aud thev
deserve attention from the people a,
large ~ illustrating the rapagity Of tariff
protected interests.
The first az the parts used in piano
making which arr subject To higher du-
ties under the Mckinley law are the
tuning Plus 10 which the strings are at
tached. The old duty on these pins was
- PER cent. IL was first proposed by
Mckinley to make tine duty 80 per
cent, along with pianos aud
pianoforte actions, and parts of.
This paragraph wa, constructed AT the
loud solicitation OF the action makers,
who, though they had no interest AT all
ia tuning pins, were very anxious tp con
struct the paragraph affecting their own
productions ~ broadly that they them
selves might bc secure from competition,
with the result that they included every
thing used In piano manufacture. But
they demanded that the duty be fixed at
30 instead Of 80 per cent, and when the
bill went 10 the senate tuey accomplished
their purpose, IN part 10y having the
whole paragraph struck from the Sched-
ule The result was that tuning Plus
were made dutiable at 40 per cent, and
the price was at once put mp To $500 per
thousand, having been $40.
\ similar ticl, was performed in re-
gard TO the felt which Is put on the ham
mers There Is only one factory en-
gagged in the production of piano felt ia
the United Statcs-that Of Mr.. Alfred
Dodge, of Dolgeville, y. N.-the annual
production of which, according TO Mr..
Dodge, is about 300, 900 pounds. England
has two factories, France two and Ger
many four. The only piano felt i'm
ported into the United States comes from
Germany, and amounts Ia from 5000
10 10000 pounds per year, 50 that only
one-tenth of the felt used here is i'm
ported.
Piano felt paid a duty under the old
law of thirty-hve cents pound and 40
per cent, equal 10 "A single ad valorem of
81 per cent, being taxed as "manufact-
ures of wool not otherwise provided for
The duty in this paragraph in the Nc
Kinley bill was made forty-four cents a
pound and 80 per cent. When, however,
the bill was in the conference committee
of the house and senate, Mr.. Dodge, act
ing through Senator Hiscock, had the
three little words, "felts not woven, v
put into the ready made clothing para
graph, bearing the highest duty of all
the manufactures of wool-49i cents u
pound and 60 per cent.
Mr.. Dolge's protection by this trick is
made almost absolute. Under the old
tariff the duly paid on 100 pounds of felt
was Sl22. under the Mckinley law $l91.
Some importers have already raised the
price of foreign felt one dollar "a pound.
The greedy Dodge had two objects in
view with his tariff trick; QD To shut out
all foreign competition, and (2) being
manufacturer OF hammers also, to
drive ont of business all the manufactur-
ers here Of piano hammers who have
been using imported felt. The result is
L Ia. all