Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-12-05
THE STRUCTURAL IRON TRUST.

How Carnegie and His Associates Appro-
pirate to Themselves the tariff Bonus on |
Structural Iron-Incidentally 1t Shows
who Pays the Tariff Tax.
In extrolling the Mckinley tariff the
other day Mr.. Andrew Carnegie mag
observed that his pr raise
was entirely disinterested, inasmuch
as the rates OF duty have been consider
ably reduced upon the manufactures
he produces. 1t was certainly very
generous in Mr.. Carnegie to lavish
encomiums upon q measure from
which, as he assures us, he derives no
benefit. Next to steel rails, his most
important manufactures are beams,
rafters, joists, columns and other
forms of structural iron. Upon these
products the former rate OF duty was
S25 a ton. In pretended Difference to
the complaints of house builders against
this most exhorbant duty, the Mckin-
lev tariff reduced the rate to SIS ton.
1t was believed that this reduced rate
would be sufficient to ward off COM
petition with the structural iron COM
bination on this side of the Atlantic,
and the expectation has not been dis
appointed.
The price maintained by the Ameri-
can Beam association. to which MIR,
Carnegie belongs, is S62 ton for most
if not all forms of structural iron. In
Belgium the selling price of the same
I, fropns NOR metric
ton, or S21. OS per ton of 1000 pounds.
At the mills in Germany the price is
So 70 per ton. Adding the duty of SIS
the price OF Belgian and German forms
of structural iron would be- when laid
down in Philadelphia, $50. 05 and S4O.'
respectively, exclusive of freights and
commissions of importers.
Making the most liberal allowance
for the difference in wages, these COM
parative figures show the extent OF the
extortion that is practiced upon the
builders of this country bysMr
Carnegie's American Beam association
under cover of the tariff. Although
the importations of structural iron are
SO insignificant as to receive no mention
in the treasury returns Of trade, We are
reliably informed that Belgian and
German beams are offered to-day II
New York and Boston at SAG 30 pei
ton. This is the price for forms O
structural iron made by foreign works
for their home trade. For patterns re
ouired by American consumers thu
price is S52 a ton. Under the discourag
ing inf uence of the tariff upon the i'm
mort trade the American Beam associa
ton is enabled to swell its enormou
profits by charging the builders of thi
country $40 a ton more for its products
than the highest price of the foreigl
article, with duties, freights, comnis
sions and all included.
While Mr.. Carnegie's disinterested
ness is not very apparent, his groun,
for extolling the Mckinley tariff
quite obvious. Yet notwithstandin
the high duty. the wide margin in pric
! between American structural iron an
: the foreign article affords an oppo
tuhity of saving money OF which built
ers should avail themselves. We al
assured that II foreign beams shoul
be carried in stock by American me
J chants there would be large mark'
: for them in this country, Ia spite OF Il
duty of eighteen dollars a ton. lr
porters are unwilling to take the ris
however, because the American Bea
. association could drop its prices belo
tbs lowest rate Of the foreign artic
: and still have considerable margin
profit Thus the Mckinley tariff,
l. obstructing the imports OF structur
$ iron nearly as effectually as did
8 prede cessor, amply justides the war
= praises OF Mr.. Carnegie.
IS II Is evident that further -eduetl'