The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-28
IRON AND STEEL.

The Tribune quotes portion Of the
synopsis of the last report of CARROLL d.
WRIGHT, commissioner of labor, in such
way as to confuse its readers, if possible,
upon the labor cost IN the manufacture of
pig iron. We shall have the complete re-
port in a short time and will present then
an analysis of the figures. Meantime, let
US examine the garbled and incomplete re-
port with which the Tribune under
takes to show that tariff of
1912 per ton is necessary to en-
able iron makers to produce pig iron and
still pay their men American wages. Let
it be remembered that the census of 1880
gives the total wages paid in the manufac-
ture Of pig iron as $685.
Here is the reference to pig iron that the
Tribune quotes from the labor commissioner:
The report Shows the total cost of one ton of
pig iron, from the mining 0t the materials to the
finished product in thirteen establishments
seven in the northern districts, three in the
southern, and one in Great Britain. In the
northern district the direct cost of labor in
the production of Bessemer iron ranges
from $40 TO se.4i for officials and clerks from
l7l4 TO 81 cents; supplies, repairs and taxes
from sl.69 to $3.50; transportation to point
where used, from S1.69 to S535; difference be-
tween foregoing actual costs and costs charged
TO blast furnaces from 81. 10 to S5C6. The totals
therefore, range from 1887 per ton to $780,
In the Southern district the cost per ton of
the run OF furnaces is as follows: Direct
labor, S4S2 to $3.50; officials and clerks, 10 cents
TO 40 cents; supplies. repairs and taxes, Sc cents
to 30; transportation to point where used, SO
cents TO Si.55; difference between the foregoing
and costs as charged to blast furnace 81 cents
to s2.07. The totals, therefore range from 50. l6
to slo.61. In one establishment in Great Brit
ain, the total cost of these elements per ton
is sl0.2l.
The one great deficiency in these figures
is the failure to give the labor cost in the
manufacture Of pig iron alone, without in
Guiding the labor cost of coal, coke. ore,
limestone, etc.
Thus, the production Of ton Of iron re.
CURES ton and half Of coal, costing
about s4.00, but of which S1.15 is tariff-the
protection of the coal miner; over q
ton and a half of ores costing
from 81 to IS, of which SLIPS is tarif-the
protection of the iron miner: and
so on, while the direct labor in
making the iron itself should have these
and other items deducted from the totals
given in the above extract, if it is in
tended to show why duty Of S6.72 on pig
iron alone is necessary for the payment OF
wages in that industry.
But taking the figures as they stand
after the labor cost of every article that is
used in iron production is thus dragged in
and adding the tariffs on coal and ore alone
to that on pig iron and the tariff thus ia,
added up reaches 1912 ton, or within 81
cents OF the highest direct labor cost, and
s5.42 more than the lowest labor cost, il
the production of ton of iron from "ths
mining Of the materials to the finished
product"
The further curious facts are observable
that the north needs tariff protection
against the south as well as against Eng.
land, for in the two latter the costs ar,
about equal; also that but one English
establishment is given; and that the wage