New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-02
FARM IMPLEMENTS AND THE TARIFF

FARM IMPLEMENTS AND THE TAHITI.
Another campaign falsehOod OF the Free
Traders has been completely refuted Thy the
investigations of The TRIBUNE. 1t has been
repeatedly asserted with great particularly by
various Democratic journals that products OF
American manufacture, and especially farm ma
chinery and implements, were sold abroad at
lower prices than were charged to farmers OF
this country. Lists of export prices were quoted
which. it was asserted, established this claim.
The object was to create the impression that
within this country, because of the tariff On
machinery and implements, manufacturers were
able to get and compelled purchasers 70 pay
much more than the cost OF the machines with
a reasonable profit
These assertions were at once met with
storm of contradiction by many manufacturers.
But the campaign lie went on just the same.
Hence The TRIBUNE addressed inquiries to all
the principal manufacturers Of farm implements
in this country, and TO a great number OF the
smaller concerns, asking for the exact facts
regarding the sales of each concern. Nearly all
of those addressed have made frank and full
REPLIES and the immense body OF statements
printed in The WEEKLY TRIBUNE OF August
26 will convince any one who read it that the
Free-Trade assertion is absolutely and COM
pleteIy false. Not single maker of farm i'm
PIGMENTS or machinery has been found who
sells at any lower price abroad than in this
country. Almost all emphatica!ly state that the
cost of the products to farmers OF other coun-
tries is much greater than to farmers OF the
United States, and most of them admit that the
manufacturers get a higher percentage Of profit
on their foreign than on their domestic trade.
This is not at all strange. The competition
between hundreds of makers in this country IS
exceedingly sharp, and prices are forced down
to the lowest point. In fact, it is notorious that
the manufacturers Of such machinery endeavored
a wear ago to form trust or combination for
the sole purpose OF restricting this ruinOus COM
petition. because many of the concerns were not
getting a living price for their products But
the attempt fell through, and since that time
some of the manufacturing concerns have gone
into bankruptcy. The testimony published
shows also that failures among the dealers and
agents in this branch of business have been
more frequent than in almost any other be-
cause of the intense and unreasonable competi-
ton that exists In other countries the Ameri-
can manufacturers have scarcely any cOmpeti-
ton to meet. Their machines are better and
cheaper than any made abroad, and they are
able to command their own prices. Compare
lively few foreign purchasers are found only
because the proportion of farmers in other con-
tries who are able to use American machinery
or have learned its advantages is small
The statements published make it clear that
the prioe-lists printed were in every case the
prices offered to jobbers or agents, and there
fore much lower than the prices which the in
dividual farmer has to pay in this country
The wholesale purchaser in the United States
who takes a large number Of machines and
paws cash for them gets q much lower price
for that reason. The fact is brought out clear
ly that most OF the farmers although they have
the opportunity to buy at a much lower price
for cash. prefer to buy on credit at higher
price The agents and canyaSSeIs who solicit
purchases necessarily incur large expenses and
considerable risks, and the testimony is that
their profits are exceptionally narrow. Never
theless, the price at which machines are sold tC
them must he lower than the price charged the
farmer, and the jobbeIs or wholesale dealer.
in like manner receive lower prices in con.
sideration Of the services they render and tho
risks they run. 1t is shown, too, that there
are some makers who embrace the opportunity
to empty upon foreign markets machines anC
implements which have been practically super
seeded in the American trade by later inven
tons or improvements and in working off such
virtually unstable stock the manufacturer glad
ly gets what he can for it. But the eydenc.
is ample and overwhelming that the price,
charged to dealers and agents for foreign trade
are in all cases as high and in many cases
higher for the same articles than the price,
made to dealers and agents in this country
When the cost of shipment and the necessary
expenses are added, it is plain that the farm.
ers abroad who purchase American machines