The Columbus journal., 1894-12-19
HONEST IMPORTER

AN HONEST IMPORTER
PRICES MARKED DOWN TO BEDROCK
~ FOREIGN MANUFACTURERS.
Every Inducement offered to American
Buyers-values viii Advance After Con.
troll Of Our Markets Has Been Secured
Goods Made By European COnv1ets.
A week or two ago, Oh one Of the
steamers which run to the islands in
Casco bay. l fell in with q man who
had quite recently returned from q long
European trip. during which he had
combined business and pleasure. he
was head Of q large jobbing house in
Portland, Me. After the first greetings
were over I asked him if he had been
buying much abroad.
YES" he said. NOW is tho time to
import in our line. OF course you know
that the new tariff law lowers the duty
Oh gloves, hosiery aud general fancy
goods enough to pay US to import large
quantities. And prices r at rock bot
tom over there now"
"Ah," I said. "You think that prices
will rise later?
"They are bound to rise," was the
reply. by and by, as soo as the new
tariff law gets into real working order
and Americans begin to import in large
quantities, as they will. Of course, the
increased demand will soon cause the
foreign manufacturers to advance their
prices. Oh, yes, now IS the time to buy,
and I placed a large order with some
firms in Chemnitz, Saxony. I bought
my goods at the lowest prices ever
known, and glad enough they were to
get orders. even at such prices. Bust
ness has been pretty dull with them the
last few years. but it is looking up
now"
If it had not been for the new tariff
law with its lower duties. l suppose you
would have placed your order with
firms in this country"" I said.
Largely" was the reply. "Of
course not wholly. We always import
more or less-less under the Mckinley
bill. for then it paid IS better to buy
most Of our goods in this country"
"Then the provisions Of the new tar
if law have caused you to send just SO
much Of your money out of this coun-
try?"
YES" va the answer. land We
will send out good deal more in the
course of time"
"And of course your buying abroad
means just SO much more work for the
foreign lsborer and just SO much less
for the American workman"
Eyes, I suppose so, the man replied.
"And the present low prices will be
for only q short time, you Think" I
continued.
"Unquestionably." was the reply.
What r WI Americans going to
get out of it, them" I said. Low
prices just long enough to shut up our
factories and throw our men out Of
work. Then when we can't do our own
work and are obliged to buy from the
foreign manufacturers they make US
pay high prices. It seems to be all loss
and no gain for u.s."
"That's, about the size of it" the
merchant replied.
Il suppose you import pearl buttons.
too:" l said.
"Well, We used to import them
thousands Of dollars worth every year
but since the passage Of the Mckinley
bill We have been buying them in this
country as we'll as other things. You
what q lot Of talk there was
about the tariff ON pearl buttons under
the Mckinley bill?"
I nodded assent, and he went on.
"Wby, that tariff on pearl buttons was
one Of the best things In the Mckinley
bill. The Mckinley bill put a low tar
if on the shells and a high tariff ON the
buttons. We can't get the shells here,
you know. Before that We had got
all our pearl buttons from abroad, chief
ly from Vienna. The manufacture Of
pearl buttons was one of the chief occu-
of Austrian convicts. You can
imagine the rate of wages in that case.
Well, within a year after the passage
Of the Mckinley bill over IL. 900 peo-
pie in this country were employed at
good wages in the manufacture Of pearl
"And for that we could afford to pay
. little higher price for our buttons" 1
said, for I suppose the price did 60
ap?"
eyes, it did for a short time," the
merchant replied. but We used im-
proved methods Of manufacture, and the
competition between American manu-
lecturers actually reduced the price Of
pearl buttons below what it had been
under the low tariff"
1T was all gain them" I said.
Work for American workmen and
lower prices too. I see that the new tar !
if has reduced the duty ON pearl but
;ons also," I continued. "Will it lower |
The price any?"
1T hasn't tended that way yet, was
he reply. The price has actually ad-
7anced 10 per cent, for some reason or
,ther, since the new tariff bill was pro-
Then u American factories are |
ATE in this case?" I said.
"Well, l don't know about that"
ny companion replied. "You see. Aus
RAN convicts work cheaper than Amer
can freemen, and the Austrians can
at Q lower cost, cheaper
han Americans can. The new tariff
loes not measure that difference in cost
( production. and so the Austrians can
ell at o price less than the cost to
They can Don shut up our
american manufactures at that rate.
that is what they are plan
ing. The pearl button manufactures
n Vienna, which have been closed for
ONE time. are opening up again. OF
curse they will sell at those low prices
My long enough to run the Americans
ut and get a monopoly. Then they ear
o back to the big profits they used to r
ave before the Mckinley bill"
1T seems to be quite a snap for the
oreigners. I suppose they are ready to
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