Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1892-04-27
EXPORT DISCOUNTS.


The Charge That IL IL . Pr-vaieat c.
tom Among American Manufacturers. =.
Sell Cheaper Abroad than at Home n.
Entireiy Untrue.
question frequently asked is: .sD,
American manufacturers sell cheaper
10 Foreigners than TO our own pcoplep
We answer that probably some few of
them do sometimes To n very limited
extent. especially in the case OF articles
like sewing machines which are covered
by patents.
That it is n prevalent custom among
| our manufacturers il untrue Indeed
IT is confidently denied. by men in
exceptional positions Ia know. that II
Is ever done. For instance Mr.. A. II.
Cohu. OF the A. Il. Cohu Company. man
ufacturers of agricultural implements.
1871 Water street, New York. said:
We have been twenty years In the business
and our experience has been that goods
arc sold in this country IA low IL not lower than
they are sold for export, with this exception.
! Export buyers pay cash or give "A letter cf
1 credit ON London which we sell here on the cav
| the goods arc delivered on board and get cash
! Tor H. This gives them IA slight discount but
domestic buyers can nj ali times obtain the
| same discount by buying on the slfne terms -
| that Il, by paying SPOT cash
This allusion To the slight discount
given for spot cash, rs against the sales
ON thirty, sixty or ninety days time.
which is generally demanded 10y the do
mestic buyer, probably explains the ap-
parent discount said To h. given 10 the
foreigner. But il should bc remembered
that IL is given, not because he is for
eigner, but because he pays spot cash.
The American who will pay spot cash
can get the very same discount.
But. for the sake of argument. sup
pose we admit that some American man
ufacturers do sell ut lower prices 10 for
c'gnerS Why do they do So?
Sometimes "A manufactures has a sur
plus stock. which. il he does not sell.
will be almost total loss. He sells al
he can, but the season comes 90 an end
leaving an unsold surplus for which
there is no homo demand. 10 may bc the
whole profit of his years business is
locked mp in that surplus and IL hc does
not dispose of il ne will bc hankrupt.
He hears of an opening for his wares in
some foreign country. Would he not be
fool not to place them there nt sacri-
flee prices rather than To- suffer ruin?
And who ut home is injured by the
| transaction?
Or perhaps manufacturer has stock
of old Anticipated articles ON hand which
the American people will not buy mt
any price. Is he not wise. or will YOU
blame him, IL he turns them of ON Ia
foreigners Mt lower prices than first
| class goods cost in our own markets?
Again, here is n manufactures who
| gets n letter from friend i'm some for
eign country informing him that there
Is splendid market for his products
in that country IL they only could bc
| introduced. Would he not bc unworthy
| the name of Yankee IL he neglected Ia
! send his goods there, even at a nominal
! price, TO introduce them? Why, we see
every day men hired To- go about giving
away samples of this that and the other
| thing Tor the purpose OF introducing
! them To consumers And who would
| be hurt by the Yankee manufacturers
action? IL he succeeds in building up "A
| foreign trade, IL means more work for
| American labor, more money for Amcri-
can channels of trade, and lower prices
ut home, which always come with in
creased output.
Some American mills also make two
classes of goods, an article for sale
abroad, inferior, yet good enough 20
! compete with the wrctchcd products of
! foreign mills; and another better article
for sale to Americans, who will always
I have the best or nothing. Cannot such
n concern sell the inferior exported
articles more cheaply than il sells the
others? and is not the country benefited
| by his increased business?
Do not these illustrations make it
clear that lower prices To foreigners
may Mt times be advantageous all
around?
But now we come To the important
point-namely, Is protection i'm any
way responsible for whatever discount
for export only may bc given by our
| manufacturers? Not in the least degree
is il responsible How do we prove
| 1t? by pointing 20 the fact that the
| practice is far more prevalent in free
trade England. Below is sample ex-
tract from the hundred of similar dccis-
ions made 10y the United states customs
authorities. 1t is taken from decision
| by Secretary Folgcr, quoted in Secretary
Manning's report for 1888. and relates to
certain worstcd yarns imported from
I England whose price was called in
| question. The decision saws:
II Is conceded that tho invoice shows tho
prices actually paid FOR the merchandise These
! prices are lower however. than prices or the
L
stated that the invoice prices are those ~ which
such goods are sold for expectation, so that ~ 81
said there are two wholesale prices. both %.
them actual, one Tor consumption ia England
and ne other for expectation. nnd the question
arises which 90 these two values o. a. he chosen
"a the basis Tor the assessment 81 duticsY
SO the question as 90 export discounts
is wholly irrelevant i'm tariff discussion.
Only the shameless dishonesty Of the
demagoguc free trader has dragged II in
for the purpose of creating prejudice
against protection.
The Present state and Position of TariR
"Ecformers."
All Of our readers. no doubt. rcmcm
Der in their youthful days the small
boy. who with violence in his mind and
objurgation in his voice. threatened
physical discomfortand injury toaplay-
mate. and how, after short and futile
effort he compromised the matter snd
contcnted himself by making faces at
his playmate's sister.
The revenue "reformers' seem 90 be
la about this pogiffou inst now IL we