The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-02-13
FREE TRADE RESULTS
ENGLISH MANUFACTURERS JUBlLANT
OVER THE PROSPECTS.


dictate, more and more every week, how
interested, and how excited even, the
British manufacturers are becoming over
the prospects of securing their lions
share of our manufacturing industries.
When the Wilson tariff was first made
public, it was considered advisable to
muzzle the British bulldog, and it was
evidently prearranged that the barking
should be done behind the kennel, at any
rate where it would not attract the eye
of the American eagle. But the anxiety,
the desire, the eagerness, to snatch our
business from us proved too much for
their discretion, and we learn from one
paper, about the wooden trade, that the
prospect of an increased business with
the States is, however, very hopeful"
Again, further: "Should it (the new
bilD pass in its proposed form, it will
make a great difference in the export of
the lower classes of woolens, upon which
the specific or weight duty weighs so
heavily. This will be crucial point in
the discussion of the BILL Nothing can
be fairer than an ad valorem duty, but
the difficulty always exists that there
are unprincipled people who invariably
underdeclare values, and those who make
honest declarations are made to suffer
for the faults of Others"
This will be cheering news to our wool
manufacturers, particularly as the fact
is recognized abroad ''that there are I'M
principled people who invariably under
declare values" But we like to keep the
best news till the last. and that Is what the
Bradford (England) correspondent writes
to The Textile Manufacturer, which is
published in Manchester This bold
Bradford man throws aside all pretenses
and hypocrisy. He initiates the straight
forward policy of Cousin Ben Folsom
when he on July 4, 1898, congratulated
the cutlery manufacturers of Sheffield
that they would again secure control of
the American markets, policy that it
appears has been also adopted by Mr..
Meeker, the American consul at Brad
ford. The conclusion at which the Brad
ford expert in the English worsted trade
arrives is that the proposed Wilson tar
if measure will give to the manufactur-
ers of Bradford far easier access than
they have ever had to market repre-
senting population of 100000 peo-
pie"
Further analyzing what free wool
really means to the American manufac-
turer, this English expert says, How,
under such circumstances, can the free
wool clause hurt the Bradford manufac-
turerS This expert opinion is remarka-
bly, interesting reading and would en-
Tighten the majority of the ways and
means committee if they are really capa-
BILE of comprehending the actual intrica-
cies of the business of manufacturing
wooden goods. In the hope that some of
these tariff thinkers, destroyers Of Ameri-
can farming industries, murderers of
American manufacturing industries and
strangers of American labor may be able
to see beyond the length of their noses
and may be able to grasp the actual con-
ditions of some subject that exists be-
yond the country hamlets, whence they
emanate, we reproduce this Bradford
correspondents remarks in full as pub
lished in The Textile Manufacturer:
There is no doubt that the slight in
fusion of buoyancy into this market has
been the result, to partial extent, of the
publication of the new tariff proposals
in America. A good many opinions have
been expressed and some figures given
as to the favorable character of that tar
if from the point of view of Bradford
wool staplers and manufacturers. But
a good many opinions and a good many
valuable figures have been kept back be-
cause Bradford men fear that capital
will be made of them by American Re
publicans. Some even say that such
statements might prevent the bill from
passing. There is no adequate ground
for this fear, which is entertained chiefly
in fair trade quarters In the first place,
Mr.. Meeker, the American consul, tells
me that there is not the slightest doubt
the bill will pass, and in the second
place every man who reads his newspa-
per thoroughly knows that Mr.. McKin-
ley and other Republicans have dosed
the American public ad nauseum with
forebodings as to the injury the new tar
if will infict on American manufacture
ers and the benefit it will confer on Eng
lish manufacturers.
What is more, the committee on ways
and means which drafted the bill took
evidence for weeks, and among it is
mass of evidence as to how the tariff
would affect the worsted trade. The fact
is the American farmers and the ordinary
American consumer have begun to see
that protection raises the price of COM
modities and only confers benefits on the
manufacturers of the eastern states, who
are bound by no human law to share those
benefits with anybody. In short, thedeep
set desire in America for an ameliorated
tariff will not be baked by the repetition
of the stale story that that tariff will
benefit few English towns. So shall
have my say.
To exemplify what thetarif will mean
to Bradford trade, l will just in SEN
tence show how it will affect worsted
coatings, which form half of the Brad
ford exports to America. A worsted
coating costing in Bradford 2 shillings a
yard will under the new tariff in New
York cost SO per cent more. Under the
present Mckinley tariff it costs in New
York 100 per cent more and under the
tariff which preceded the Mckinley du-
ties 1888 per cent more. These figures
have not been previously stated, nor
have others which am going to give
A good deal has been made out of the
fact that the American manufacturers
under the new tariff will get their raw
material free, and statements have been
made that this will almost nullify the
benefits conferred by the tariff in the
shape of reduced duties.
Now, free wool to Amortization the
first time since America has been a coun-
try-must mean to wool staplers in
Bradford-and Bradford is the center OF
the wool trade of the world-a large in |
crease of business. They will have far |
easier access than they ever had to a
market representing a population of TO- |
100000 Free trade in wool with Amer.
lea cannot but be to the advantage, |
of one branch of the Bradford |
trade Now, take the Bradford manu-. /
facturers, and how free wool to the /
manufacturer will affect tho (
Bradford makers is a question that has
not yet been thoroughly gone into. Six
teen pounds of greasy wool will produce
l0B pounds of top. That 104 pounds OF
top win spin into pounds of yarn. TIC
make q 10 ounce cloth requires Is pounds
Of yarn, which represents about 81
pound of wool.
The American manufacturer, under
the new tariff, will get in pounds OF
wool free, upon which he will receive II
,ents per pound reduction. g., q
,ents ON the nonnds Tho MckinIaY