The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-02-03
Our Exports and the Tariff.

| OuT EApoEts anu inc arm.
The statement of the exports from
this country to other countries for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1898,
has been printed in excellent form
by the Bureau of Statistics of the
Treasury Department. 1t is thor
oughly well-arranged both in respect
to the list of the articles exported
and to other important factors in
commerce. The size of page, the
type, and the form are all very great
improvements on anything hereto
fore issued by this bureau. The ia
BILE Of imports merits the same com
mendation.
An examination of the exports de
velops facts of the utmost interest.
If the articles were classified upon
the plan of the census of the United
States, putting manufactured flour,
dressed meats, and many other arti-
Giles of like kind under the head OF
manufactures, it would appear that
manufactures of the census classes
constitute the larger part of our
present exports, valued in the last
fiscal year at 1881, 100000.
But this is not the most interest
ing point that may be developed
from this important report. Open
ing at the very first page of state
ment No. 6 of the quantities and val
ues ofdomestic merchandise exports,
the eye rests upon agricultural i'm
plements. Now in the fabrication
of domestic merchandise, iron and
steel are component materials, on
the average, of half the value of the
finished produet-in many instances
more than half. Yet, notwithstand
ing the disparity in the price of iron
and steel in this country as com
pared to Great Britain, growing out
of the duties, and Notwithstanding
the fact that the drawback cannot
be secured on very large part of
the implements which are exported,
they are sent in large quantity to
every corner of the world.
AS we glance at the list we OBJ
serve that mowers and reapers are
exported to every European country,
to every Central American country,
and to the Argentine Republic,
which latter country took over mil
lion dollars worth in 1898. Deal
ing next with ploughs and cultiva-
tors, we find them exported to near
ly every European country, to the
Philippine Islands, TO British Afri-
ca, and to South America; and other
types of agricultural implements arc
sent everywhere-the total exports
of the last fiscal year amounting in
round figures to nearly five million
dollars worth. What NAV not be
expected in the development of this
type of exports when we are ready
to take from Asia, Australia, Africa
and South America the means Of
payment in the form of wool, ores
and other articles of like kind?
Again it will be observed that
there is hardly branch of manu-
featuring industry pursued in this
country in which the wages earned
by machinists, blacksmiths, wood
workers, and other artisans are as
high as in the work of making these
agricultural implements, while all
our mechanics earn more than Their
competitors in any other country
Yet these implements must be made
better in quality, or at lower cost
than those of Great Britain, France
or Germany; else they could not bt
exported as they are to Great Brit
ain, France, and Germany, and to al
the colonies and great states with
which Great Britain is in much clio
ser commercial relations than the
United States.
The same remarks may be made
in regard to the export of almost ev
cry other type of goods, wares, an6
merchandise that are expo rted. We
challenge any one to name single
article in this list of exports, which
covers almost every product of ag
riculture or manufactures that is
made in the United States, examples
of which are sent to almost every
part of the world, in which the wa
ges earned by the American opera
tive, mechanic, machinist, or artisan
are not higher than the wages o.
corresponding classes in any othel
country. Yet the quality must bt
better or the cost must be lower o.
the articles exported from this coun
try, since otherwise they could not
be exported in the face of the com
petition of the "pauper labor" o
European countries.
In pursuance of this line O
thought we will pass ever the textile
fabrics, the cordage, the manufact
ures of hemp, the flour, the glass
hides and leather and their products
the boots and shoes, to all of which
the same rule applies, and com,
to the products of iron and steel
| We find under the head of iron an(
steel and manufactures thereof ,
, list of articles covering band ant
bar iron, car wheels, castings, cutie
ry, fire arms, locks, hinges, ant
builders hardware, machinery Of al
most every kind, nails and spikes
plates and sheets, printing presses
railway bars, saws and tools, scale
and balances, sewing machines
steam engines, both stationary an,