New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-07
CpY TrIHGR,pH To THE TkiHuNt.l

! (nY TrIFGR,rn To THE TRiBuNE.i
| WASHINGTON Sept when the hearing be-
fore the WAYS and Means committee be-
gan to-day Chairman Wilson ana Tour OF
the Republican members were present anu
when it ended all Of the Hepublic'h members ana
all OF the Democrats except Nv" "e'' present
although four Of the latter did not arrive until after
| :, o,o,ooL ~ n ybitconb Of Birmingham. Conn.
who first addressed the committee represents ne"
American industry which owes its existence" To the
! protective tariff system. II "oud nave "'e" es'ap-
lished about three years carrier ina" q" va" " II
| had not been for the uncertainty c'"S'' "' W."
tarir AGITATION NJ 1875 and the passage Of the
dark lantern bill in the latter year i"e "''"
who had proposed engage III the i"'"S''H WIZ
raossured nv the election Of President ana ION
cress committed to the support oil ui' pro'cc"Nc
system and in 1890 Mr.. Whitcomb ana MS partners
established AT birmingham a factory lo' TIE MIAMI"
facture of metallic bedsteads
Mr. Whitcomb had been for SIX year I''o' ~
that time an importer of and dealer IN BRASS ana
,ror hods,eads and his new partner had Deem ior
r,,oo, vaors manufacture Of those afuc's III
pirminghan England \ number OF 'l' On en-
I Moves of the English factory remover ~ N"''-
necticut and were employed in the ne" '"elo''
where they still remain During uh' wv
,.oars five or six other factories have hren 'S''"
;,r, T., ,, t.ni,,J States and the total amount oi
,,,o, Invested in IL exceeds %'nu" II VIII "'
,se, therefore that this industry not on! o"'' H.
existcnce 70 the protectiv" iarin' "n' 'i', H.
a new one whose future growth anu p''SpN'"F Wy
mend upon the retention OF the present '"''S "
duty which II is proper 10 say are Tue "''"
the existing law as they wer" under '''' '"',. ~
,SSI-i5 per cent al valorem In fact as 'l'' " "'.
comb said "he industry Is just Getting on us ''e
In replv 10 questions b. members OF 'h' oo'.''''
tee he said that he is now selling pe'S''"'' "
% per cent cheaper than be- sold o'iS''"'S -, Wv.
100 or -, inferior grade which h. imported from
of
that he now sells at 81 each were Imported 10y MN
rd cid IN The trade four 10 eight years ago al
& IN * and e. 20 each. and b." asserted that Inc
American bedstead Of to-day ~ Vastly superior !"
the English bedstcad which sold at the nlh"e'
prices so recently three or four years ago iio'
connection had chcapencd the prices "i h"'h the
American and the foreign article ana consumers
had been thereby benefited. The English inan"ii',-
urers are all members of combination VIM"
fixes prices TO English consumers anu " '''''
were no American competition the sam" 'o''""
ton would fix the prices 10 he Iaid oy AIM, ''"''
consumers The American manula''ul''S nav
never formed any such combination Mt Nml-
comb said that the wages paid to the persons '''
nIovad i'm th. American factories ar" l'" !" ="
nor cent higher than the wages paid ~ inc f'ue
lish factories and he supported inc '"''"'"' ~
submitting some Interesting compdratlN" hsuf'S.
lie WAS asked il The American workman Is no'
marc efficient and does not produc" more ~ Il
REPLIED in the negative. adding that ~" mon j" MS
f,ctorv who formerly worked in the Enslish iAc-
tory produced about the same her" az th'N On
there Mr. McMillin disposed TO DOUBT '''S'
and remarked that everybody knew mat N''''''
machinery was superior TO English ana N"''I
cans being more intelligent. used II TO greater "n-
vantage than Englishmen. TO This MI Nh'coi"p
r.,lied that the machinery and appliances ns'1 10
the Two countries are exactly alike. and uAi "niy
fl small proportion of the woik - h"i" 10 '"'-
chiuery That dlspos"d Of Mr McMilin ingenious
r,,,c,sr, returning - tn matter o. wages. Nj.
Whitcomb remarked that men rec'N" w 10 30
. week and some OF them even more Ia blrmihB-
ham Cam for the same work that mon ~
uir,,i,ehnu, Enciand. receive SO 20 s. = a week
for doing while the avcrHgr "~rhls "As"7 %
women and girls IN tho former range from I" ~ -
a week and in the latter from 81 - I" Z - " "''N'
IL. also m-nt toned the case % one ~ ~" i"i'h'h m
his factory who earns an average OF 4" cents an
no,,r and who WAS abb. TO visit England Win MS
family this wear when il became necessary 10 close
the factory temporarily. The sam" man VA" i"i -
roerly employed iu the English iactoi!' ""'i' "'
was regarded a. one OF thr b'st h'h'9' "''
was never able ~ earn more than 80 al a. WIN
nh. comparative statements Of Wage s''i'' !"
annoy the Democratic members % Tie COMMUTE
nd 0n.llv Chairman Wilson desired Nh Nht'"i""
,o say whether his statements were na'"l upon
pofsonal knowledge! To-" lait"i i'l'' '''' '
neur.s relating to wages paid In 'onme' N''' WIZ
matters within his personal kno"l"db'. ana ~ "
.oo,a maid I'm England his Information h"H "''l'
ATTAINED from his partner. VINO hdd Dee" '"' ''''
wears a manufacturer and an employer oil "'" III
| roeI.nd and from men iu his own idti"I' VINO
had formerly worked IN EnsIsh l"''"'''- III
Wilson intimated that this was not satisfactory
f. him II might be- well for tho Wa}s ana Means
Commute TO invite men To appear before them
who have worked in foreign factories ~ wei * III
American establishments, and who would there
fore he abb. to speak from personal knowledge
an the subject Of comparative wages IN oid'' 10
satisfy the scrupes of the Democratic members
According to Mr. Whitcomb about g, per cent
Of the cost of brass and iron bedstoads CONSISTS
~ wages maid to labor after the "ra" materials
are received at the factory. but he also explained
that all The raw materials" used are the finished
products Of other kinds OF manufactures upon which
| much labor has been bestowed For example. ne
produced samples Of iron tubing used IN making
bedsteads which only needed To he polished ana
SHAPED for the place II was to tax" IN IN" hnish'i
| product lie added ;hat ssice the establishment
| OF the Industry in the United Statcs. and during
Tho. last year especially. largc proportion OF the
raw materials. now amounting to about - per cent
OF the whole. has been manufactured in THIS c""n-
try thus Indirectly furnishing employment 10 many
hundred American worlingmen in branches OF IN
dustry which are dependent upon the metallic
bedslcad industry.
Mr. Whitcomb. in reply To- questions. said that
!, reduction of duties would mean reduction Of
wages so FAR rs the Industry in which he ~ en-
gagged is concerned II that industry should j." do
stroved in the United States the cost Of metallic
belseads to the consumer would probably Increase
to what II was before the English manufacturers
were compelled to meet American competition I'm
other words the American consumer would BE- at
the mercy Of an English combination ana would b"
forced To pay a higher price FOR All inferior article.
Mr. WLStcomb's factory was closed during the
month of August partly on account of the general
I'm busi and
feeling of uncertainty produced hy the threats of
sharp reduction in duties. 81 the present tim"
ahnut three-hfths of the usual number of hands
is employed and the factory Is running three days
In each week.
The second hearing to-day was in behalf of the
American macaron industry which has Increased
tn an enormous extent 200 to 3oN per since the