The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-09-12
SUPERIOR. WIS. SATURDAY. SEPT. Il. 1891.
The Mcklnly Plush Tariff and Amer
lean Plush Manufacture.
American Economist.

beginning to make themselves felt.
The firm of Sir Titus Salt Il Co. plush
manufacturers, of Bradford, England
have moved part of their extensive
Plant to Bridgeport, Conn, where they
are now making the pushes formerly
exported by them from England, to
supply the American market.
The Louisville Courier-Journal, com.
menting on this editorially, says:
Sir Titus Salt sons & Co. have established plush
works mt Bridgeport. Conn.,, and they have
ployed about Ban hands. two-thir'!s OF which
number are British puu!er lahorerS, imported
for the protection of the American nottingham.
The British workm Oh are merely transferred from
England, where they consumed American asri-
rntnrnI products, 10 the United states where they
CONSUME but little more. and add nothing what
ever Ia the farmers income. The rest of the en-
plovecs Of the English mill, who are out OF en-
piocmeDt. Consume less of on. products. .
Aud for American 1abor-well. American
labor is not in it 10 any great extent except 10
lny higher prices Tor plush
Let us see if this is true In the first
place. only that part of the English
plant was moved to Bridgeport which
had been devoted to supplying the
American market, or about One-third
The other two thirds are still kept run
ming in undimnislled activity, and the
laborers employed. therefore. consume
American Agricultural products Just
ms much, or as little, as they did be-
fore.
The laborers thrown ont of employ
ment in the English mill, rs we have
said. were only about one-third of the
total number. Now, under the Eng
lish Free-Trade system, which the
Courier journal is SO anxious to have
MS adopt, the conditions necessary for
the adequate employment of labor are
SO far from being realized that when a
workingman is once thrown out of
work in his trade it is very difficult for
HIM to obtain another situation; he
must either starve or emigrate. Pre-
ferring the latter course, the discharged
hands come to America, and upon their
arrival applied for employment at the
Bridgeport works, where MeSsrs, Salt
s. Co, not being able to procure eX
perienced American workmen (thlS be-
ing Il new industry, were glad enough
to get them. The rest of their EN-
ployes (aDout 15O) are all Americans,
who, of course, have had to learn, but
who, according to the testimony of the
firm, are Just as efficient as the English
\ statement of the comparative
wages paid by Salt & Co. 1T their
Bridgeport Sorks and in England has
been furnished us and is very sug
yestiye.
BRIpaEroRr. CoSS. L. s. 4.
Perweek
NcavcrS 81, to s.
saltterS ii To u
Einshers II 10 20
Average wages in other branches require
Ing skill 10
Average wages toun>kiiled labor IL
Average working day hours
BRADFORD ENGLAND.
Highest wages TO skilled labor less than e or SO
Average wages to skilled labor 9
Average wages to uRskilled labor
Average worUing day. l. hours
In other words. we find that the es
tablishment of the Bridgeport works
have been the means Of employing
about 80 American laborerS at dou-
ble aud triple the wages paid for the
same work in England. So much for
the direct benefit to American labor.
Indirectly it has created demand for
labor necessary to start the plant and
brought to the United States about
80 skilled English laborers-;l very
class of immegrants-wh
instead of being English paupers.
are now American treemen, and whose
Try, go to remun crate the laborerS i'm
boots and shoes, clothing, hats and
other industries. So that directly and
indirectly the benefit to American Ii
Dor IS too apparent to need further ex
llanation.
But how about the farmer Accord
ing to the statistics of the United
States Department of Agriculture,
every worker at manufacturing III this
country consumes oyer 800 worth of ag
clculturai produce per year while every
worker i'll similar industry in England
consumes but 81. II worth. Hence the
employment of 800 labOrers i'll the
United States has furnished a market
to the farmer of 81 900 worth of agri-
cultural products, whereas before the
establishment of the Bridgeport works
the $50 workers in Great Britain con
s,imed only S663 worth The market
for American agricultural products
has thus been increased by 26,337, all
of which goes into the pockets of the
farmer. To further emphasize this
fact, we need only state that since the
establishment of the plush works 1T
Bridgeport. land IN the vicinity has
doubled in value.
AS for the wellwOrn Free Trade
contention that the tariff has increased
the prices of pushes, we quote in ans
wer the words of superintendent Pear
son OF the BRIDGEPORT works to a repre-
sentative of the American Economist:
The statement that FLASHES have risen in price
Is due either to entire ignorance of the facts or
I" objectionable misrepresentation. Pushes are
being marketed to-day at the same prices before
ing merely 10 more surely reserve the market to
the American producer Under tile old rate We
i'll England could break down the American
manufacture every time. Reduce the Mckinley
Tariff and plush manufacture in the United
States becomes impossible the higher rate Of
wages paid is the irreconcilablc element whic,,
prevents competition with the foreigner Our
present nlant is but an Experiment; we are grafiu-
ally charging it. and as our facilities for manu-
featuring increase ami the American competition,
hich Is sure 10 follow the enactment of the Tar
III. begins, fall III price is inevitable
Having now shown how the plush
duty in general, and the establishment
IF Salt X Co. in particular, have bene-
lifted the American laborer. farmer and
consumer, let lis turn about and ask
our Free Trade contemporary what
would be the effect of taking the duty
of pushes. In the first place the AM
erlcan manufacture would he DESTROYED
and the laborers now employed in it
would be thrown out Of work. As
they would have to be absorb d into
either industries, the demand for labor
remainln. the same. the average rate
of wages i'll these would fall. and the
market for agricultural products
would be correspondingly narrowed:
or worse still, the discharged hborers
would become the farmers competit-
ors, instead of being his customers.
But this is not all; the foreigner once
again i'll controle of our market, will
not scruple to raise his price to recoup
himself for loss of profit sustained
during competition. and instead of
prices being regulated by home pro,
tluctiun under Protection, the .Ameri.
can consumer will have to pay the
price for plush dictated 10 him by for
eign combinations.