The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-27


Rockwell, of Miller Brothers Cutlery
company, which contains the following
statement:
LAS to prices on American pocket cut
sary, many patterns have not been adj
vanced at all. Several styles that have
been sold below actual cost have been adj
vanced SO they now pay small profit.
1.-The average advances do not exceed 10
per cent. to the jobbing trade. The mar
gin of profit between the Jobber and con-
sumner was sufficient, so there was no rea-
son or necessity of advancing the price to
the consumer, and it has not been done.
''The wages of pocket cutlery workers
have been advanced from per cent. to %
per cent in the different operations. One
of the Oldest foremen in the country esti
mates that the advances which have been
made in wages, together with the more
steady work given the men, will furnish
them at least an average OF 20 per cent.
more annual income.
"Many of the factories have more than
doubled their capacity in buildings and
machinery, and all OF them show increased
production. The gain In output of course
reduces incidental expenses.
'"The fact that the value OF the pocket
cutlery imported last year, with the duty
added, so closely approximates the amount
made here shows the conditions of compe
tition pretty accurately adjusted"
1.-THE senator here analysed the oft quoted
statistics of Mr.,J. Schoenhof and others in
regard to the greater efficiency and conse
quently greater cheapness of American
labor, showed their glaring fallacies, dem
onstrated that wages in many lines are n
per cent. higher in America than in Eng
land and continued:
The rule that should apply in fixing the
rates of protective duties is that they
should in all cases equal the difference be-
tween the cost of production and distribu-
ton, under normal conditions, of the arti-
Gle in question in our own and in that
competing country where the cost of pro-
duction is lowest. This was the rule which
was followed in the preparation of the act
of 1890
Protective duties levied in this manner
have but one purpose and can have but one
effect-that is, to protect American labor
and to maintain the existing high level of
wages and earnings Of American workmen.
When such duties are removed or reduced
below the protective point labor receives
the full force of the blow,
This rule for fixing rates should only an
ply, however, to articles in the production
of which the United States has equal nat
uraI advantages with other countries. AS
a protectionist I believe that the United
States cannot afford, having in view the
most rapid development of her great re-
sources, to levy duties upon articles in the
production of which other countries have
rarrn apout natural advantaues Such artj
Giles should be admitted free.
From this point of view much valuable
time has been wasted in the collection and
discussion of statistics in regard to SO called
total labor cost of production. Most of
these statistics leave out of the computa-
ton sums paid for clerical service, for SUI
perintendence, for taxes and insurance, for
labor in repairs and materials and all the
great mass of incidental expenses which go
to make up the cost of doing business and
the ultimate cost of production. These all
represent labor or services The sums col
lected for taxes, for instance, go to pay