The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-04
Birmingham's Protest.

6lTmlugh am s ErOLeSL.
/ The iron and steel manufacturers Of
Birmingham. Ala. threaten to do some
{ damage TO the Democratic party in Ala
bama because the Wilson tariff bill pro
/ vides for a reduction Of duty on steel and
/ iron. The reason for their opposition TO
the iron and steel schedules of the Wilson
bill are not apparent. The present tariff
4 doesn't seem to be of any particular bene-
fit to them. IF the prices quoted for pig
iron and steel billcts in this country and
England are correct, there is no need for
a protective duty on either of these
articles.
According to the best information. the
lowest grade of pig iron is selling in
England at s. OF per ton IN gold. a better
grade of pig iron can be bought at the
Alabama furnaces at S125 per
ton. Even il there We're no
duty on pig iron, how would it be
possible for England to find a market for
her pig iron in this country, She could
not pay te COS. of handling, trausporta-
ton and insurance and compete with Ala
bama in the pig IRON market of this coun-
try. II has been said. and the statement
is doubtless true, that pig iron can be
manufactured at less cost per ton In
Birmingham than anywhere else in the
world If that is the cas-. d tariff On pig
iron does not do the pig iron manufacture
ers of Alabama any good.
But the Wilson bill does not remove
the duty from pig iron, it only reduces it to
% per cent per ton al vaIorem. In view
of the fact that pig iron is selling alta lower
price in London than in Alabama or any
other place in this country, it is difficult
to see ON what ground the pig iron pro
ducers have a right TO complain
And the same is true in respect to steel
billets According to the American
Manufacturer, Of Pittsburg, steel billets
were selling in England on Nov. Il at
Sl7 60 and in Pittsburg at sl7 per ton.
1t seems, therefore, that in this country
steel billets are selling for less money
here than they are being sold for in Eng
land.
The Wilson bill, however, gives the
producers of these billets a duty of % per
cent. That duty, in view of the cost of
these articles here and in England, is alb
solutely prohibitory.
What more do the steel and iron pro-
ducers of Birmingham WANT Would they
be benefited by a higher duty If so,
how The Alabama iron and steel pro
ducers do not appear to have made out
case against the Wilson bill.
The iron and steel producers Of Biz
mingham are not scared so badly by the
proposed reduction in the duties on their
products as they would have the public
believe. The Birmingham Age-Herald,
in its Issue of Thursday, says
that the iron and steel producers
Of that city viii start the fires
in seven Of their furnaces next week.
That does not look as if they thought
they have anything to fear from English
competition.
The iron and steel producing business
of Alabama can take care of itself. 1t
would continue to flourish in good times.
even if there were no duty on their pro-
ducts The iron and steel mills stopped
work last summer. They did so because
of the hard times that were then prevail
ing. They are resuming operation he
cause they have plenty of work in sizht
and they can now borrow all the money
they want at a very low rate Of interest.