The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-10-11

The Act of 1885 placed duty of eight /
cents per pound on hops. but the McKin- /
ley bill thought this not enough protec- /
ton, and raised it TO Is cents.
In $50 we imported, pounds 6,5S9.516 |
IN 1870 we exported, pounds. 9,54O,So4
III 1892 we imported, pounds. SS3,701
Ia 1692 we exported, pounds......-12 ,604, 6S6
Our exports have for ten years, except
IN 1887, exceeded our imports, showing
that we do not need TO buy from abroad,
ana the figures show that since the Nc
kinney Act we have saved to the farmer
money by reducing our imports and in
creasIng our exports.
Inc hop-grower ought TO sustain the
protective policy that protects him. 1t
costs ABOUT 10 cents pound TO produce
hops IN TINS country. Eight cents did
not secure the cost of production, and
when there was large foreign crop there
was nothing to prevent large importa-
tlons, to the detriment of our growers.
The present duty of Is cents secures the
grower against foreign competition and
assures him living price against all the
world except our own people.
The California farmer and fruit-grower
is The best protected class in the United
States. our agricultural and horticult-
ural products ali come in for distinct and
adequate protection. Our grapes, wine,
brandy, prunes, raisins, figs, olives.
almonds, grains-indeed, all our farm
products are taken care OF in the Nc
klnley Act as never before.
II the Democratic raisin-grower thinks
this unconstitutional, we are sorry; but
we propose to go right on benefting him
just the same.
For myself, / consider the farmer vote
the most intelligent vote cast, and / am
not surprised that Democrats are making
special efforts to drive the farmer away
from his allnnia IN
one thing no amount Of sOphistry or
misrepresentation can change, and that is
that the farmer knows by consulting his
store bills that he pays very much less
now for nearly everything he buys than
he did ten years ago. He knows that
England will not buy a pound of wheat
or flour from us if she can buy it else
where cheaper, whether we have free
trade or not He knows that foreign
countries cannot ship into America wheat,
or corn, or barley, or hay, or oats, or po-
tatoes, or any other farm product with
| out paying well for the privilege, and this
duty secures to him the home market.
II wheat is low he knows that our
tariff has nothing to do with the price
abroad.
The farmer cannot be deceived into
the notion that he could be supplied
cheaper with free trade or if he could he
| don't want to see our home market and
our home manufactures destroyed. In a
| word, the farmers is eminent.y patriotic
and this keeps him with the party OF
progress and patriotism.
TEMPLATE INDUSTRY.
Prior to the Mckinley bill the importa-
ton of tin plates was regulated by the
Act of 1888, and they paid purely reve-
nue. duty Of one cent a pound.
| There was not pound of tin plate
made in the United States when the Nc
kinley bill was passed.; and yet the
| United States were then, as they are now,
| the largest consumers of tin plate on the
globe.
There is nothing that enters into the
manufacture of tin plate which we have
| not in the United States, except it may be
the tin metal itself land this we shall
fnd), which is admitted free Of duty, and
has been for many years.
From 1871 to 1891 we paid Great Britain
for tin plates the enormous sum of S307,-
81 ,404, or over Sl5,000,000 per annum fol
the period of twenty years. But this
commodity has increased so enormously
in its usefulness that in the two years
1S909l, we imported $685. tons of tir
plate, of value of $67, 102, 006, on which
we paid a duty of ST., 1913, 759 under the ole
law, making over S74 900, or $37, 000,-
600 annually.
AS Republicans we believed that this
industry might be transferred from Grea
| Britain, and established as one OF the
home industries of the United States.
About 81 per cent. of tin plate is iron OF
steel, and only about 3 per cent. til
metal.
We thought it worth our while to en-
courage the manufacture of this article
and save this great drain upon the coun
try; and SO, in the Mckinley bill, W.
raised the duty to % cents per pounC
I,,1x 70 hnl +o T,,1x-
1897.
And the bill provides that tin plat
shall come in free unless the home pro
duct in any one year preceding June 30
1897, shall equal one-third Of the imported
tin plate in any one year after the passag
Of the Act.
This provision of the law was chal
lenge to those who opposed it that w
would be able to establish the industr.
upon a permanent foundation.
1t must be borne in mind that in addi
ton to the value of the tin-plate imported
which we have to pay, there must b
added also the ocean treights, the i'm
porters' commissions and profits and tn
middlemen's profits-all Of which we sd,
should go to American capital and Ameri
can labor.
The prices of tin-plate have been in tn
control of a few manufacturers Of Grea
Britain, and the huctuation shows hoy
completely we have been in their power
In 1873 charcoal tin l4x20 had reache
the extortionate price OF $l4 70 box.
We made an effort after 1873 to manu-
facture tin plates, and the price W.
dropped down by the English manfact
urers to IS % a box in 1S7S-a point whic
l made the manufacture Improbable i
this country and it was finally abar
doned.
The first result of the Mckinley AZ
was a decrease Of importations.
The next effect resulted in lowering tn
price of tin plate in the foreign mark
while it did not increase it in our ow
market. On January l, 1S9l-six month
before the Act went into effect-the priC
I in Liverpool was 81 % box. July,
1 1S9l-when it took etfect-the price ha
dropped to s. 46. April /, 1892 the pric
had fallen to s. OF a box, or 81 q DO
six months after the Act took effet
: cheaper than six months before.
The increased duty OF IL cents pc
! pound equals 81 % per box of los pounds
showing that the price had fallen nearl
the amount OF the duty added.
Another important result has been tt
; starting of factories for the manufactul
of tin plate.
! On April %, 1892, there were ty-fou
: companies organized.
: The total output for nine months, enc
ing March 81, 1892. was over 1900 ton
showing an increase by a geometric
ratio which if continued will by the clio:
. of the year 1894 show a product of 275,0
/, tons, which is more than we imported
l 1889 or 1890.
Now, as to home prices, tin plate
cheaper in the United States to-day tina
it was before the Mckinley Act passe
And there is no article of necessity or u:
3 made from tin plate that cannot be pu
i chased in the United States to-day at q
same price or a little less than before Il
Act passed.
This is one of the important industri