The morning call., 1894-08-17
THE QUESTION is DISCUSSED.
Manufacturers and Merchants Give
Their Views on the Senate Meas
ure Without Political Color.

Now that the Senate tariff has become q
reasonable certainty the question of para
mount interest is: What will it 90 to
business?"
Just how far will it help or hinder?
Importers, as a rule. say it will help
them. Manufacturers say it will materi-
ally hinder. But both manufacturer and
importer unite in the opinion that an end
10 suspense will bring at least measure
of improvement to all.
Expressions of opinion were gathered
yesterday from manufacturers and i'm
porters with this result:
Edward M. Herrick, president Of the
Pacific Pine Lumber Company, was wholly
disguised with the bill. He said that he
had faith to the very last that the bill
would not pass, as il was so un-Amsrican.
ut brings British COlumb ia, with its cheap
T labor, subsidized railroads and freedom
Rim the choice of deep water tonnage, into
sdirect competitio for the American mar
: ket," said he, with the American manu-
facturer. paying high wages, high railroad
tariff and restricted to American bottoms
for the coast and other water trades. So
that the taking of the tariff from lumber
plays into the hands OF not emily the for
eign manufacturer but the Canadian Pa
cihc Railroad aud ships of foreign flags.
The bill as 1t stands makes lumber
free. That is q n0ndescript bill, indeed,
protecting sugar. which is a necessity to
the very poor, it puts Americas greatest
industry on free-trade basis. for lumber
SIS the greatest industry of this country
every way you look at it-in the amount
OF capital invested, the number of men
mplOyed, the amount of wages paid, the
number Of establishments and the volume
of business. The industry was protected
by duty of 81 per 1000 feet before the Nc
Kinley bill. and that bill did not disturb
IT, so far as our Western woods were con-
cerned.
$50 long as prices remain as abnormally
low as they are at present even foreign
competition cannot cut IN on Pacific Coast
4 trade much. for more mills are now shut
down than are running. If trade resumed
so that these mills might want to start up
British Columbia will step in to do the
work of the very hard times and possibly
prevent them"
Charles N. keeney, general manager of
the Pacific Rolling-mill Company, said:
Il don't like the inconsistent thing at all
with regard to our business, it helps US So
+ cents ton on coal, reduction from Is
cents TO 40 cents. OF course if the indie
pendent bill passes making coal free il
helps US SO much the more. But on the
other hand il decreases the duty much
more on the finished product of our mills
(such as bar iron and shapes than upon
the raw material that we are still out and
injured. 1t will hurt US. Prices are so
low just now, however, that even foreign
competition cannot find the trade to make
it worth while. There is no railroad
building going on in the country. The
work we are doing is chiefly local archi-
tectural IRON"
A representative of the Union Iron
Works went over the same ground ex-
actly. He said that prices were unprece-
dentedly low. iron being brought from
Alabama at S15 rs per tou-an unheard of
thing. He did not like the tariff changes,
as they would delay the return of better
times.
Importers of course rather liked the
eblll, and most Of them were of the opinion
1t would result in lower selling prices All
SAID 1t would increase the importing bust
ness-Whch of course means Just that
much interference with American manu-
features. ~
All the importers talked with admitted
that while the Mckinley bill interfered
with, and in some cases wholly checked,
1mportations, they (the impOrtars) con-
tlnued In business and made quite as much
money as they did under the fairest Of i'm
porting conditions.
A. K. Kingsford of Greensbaum. We'll g.
Mlchels, Wholesale gents furnishers. said
that previous to the Mckinley bill they
imported cotton socks from England and
sold them at from 81 70 to 81 80 per dozen,
Inc Mckinley bill lifted them TO 81 10 and
q 70 per ooZen-other underwear being in
promotion. They will now return to ante
Mckinley prices. No white shirts or lin
ems are imported, as better and as cheap
goods are made here. Also no underwear
Wao imported during the Mckinley regime
Henry Kahn of Kahn Bros, Klein g.
Co, importers OF foreign dry goods, said:
1T Will be costly TO those having large
stocks of goods on hand, especially wooden
goods, but the effect will be to Stimulate
trade. As TO the rate of reduction, it is
II cents square yard on wooden goods.
A piece OF goods costing go cents under
the Mckinley law will now cost IS csnts
laid down here. The volume OF business
under the Mckinley law has been quite as
large as it was before, but the fine woods
were practically barred out. America had
no fine woods. We will now get them from
abroad.
1.-The silk industry" continued Mr..
Kahn, sis not affected, the reduction being
but from 30 to a. per cent. Silk manufac-
ture is an immense industry, employing
thousands of men in New jersey and
PENNSYLVANIA. Perhaps it was thought
wise not TO interfere with them. possibly on
The sugar basis. don't know"
Mr.. Harris of Jules Levy d Bro, i'm
porters of laces, said: "We have no def
mite information about the bill, but so far
as we can understand it the tariff on Iaces
is reduced 10 per cent-that Is, from so &c
OO-anQ prices VIII 1all IN pro portion. The
Mckinley bill raised the tariff from 10 to
60. 1t materially checked importation,
but business has gone along just the
same"
Samuel We'll of the American Import
Company. handling a great variety of
goods, explained that the change in the
tariff only affected the cost price In the
foreign market For instance. a bill of
goods that cost $1,000 to lay down in San
francisco may have only cost $500 in
Europe, the balance being composed of
frelgnt, commissions, drayage, insurance
and storage on which no tariff was paid
The reduced tariff, therefore, only applied
70 the SOU OF original cost, which made
the difference Ia price 10 many cases i'm
material. he SAID that many dealers
overlooked this fact. and were figuring
the tariff reduction off the net bill as re-
celved here. On cutlery ard smokers
articles the reduction of 20 per cent
Qrom 20 to SOD was quite an item, but ON
toys (heir leading liDe) from 25 per cent
TO 80 per cent would simply result in an
increase of price by the manufacturers.
Dolls are not manufactured in this
country, he said. There was an attempt
under the Mckinley pill, but il failed"
The effect of the Senate tariff bin
on wool will be disastrous, Judging from
opinions of merchants who have been en-
gagged in the business for years. Jacob
Wollner, who is an extensive wool mer-
chant at Fifth and Bluxome streets, stated
that the passage of the bill will be ruinouS
to wool-growerS In the country.
eff the Senate bill had not passed the
price of wool would be 20 to 80 per cent
higher to-day - said he Tint as matters