New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-11

THE TARIFF on sPECTACLES.

THE TARIFF on sPECTACLEs.
rAIsITY OF THE TALK or FREE RAW MA
TERIAI.s CoMPrNsATING FOR REDUCTION
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: When the menace Of free trade mas par
ayzed the great manufacturing industries OF the
country. reduced the rate OF wages III d 'a'ec
proportion OF the establishments Immediately III
fccted and overtaxed the generous chari'ies vi
the people to prevent suffering or starvation among
the aboring ella asses who have been thrown o"'
Of employ ment by this tremendous change IN the
policy OF the Government. il does not require more
than ordinary common-a' nse to uhHerStahu Una.
the first and immediate effect of reductioh oi
the tariff falls upon the worHngmei' e'n'' =,
"A reduction Of the rate Of wages or by loss VI
employment altogether
The crossroads politicians into whose hahus ule
Industries of the country have been committed
assert that what the manufacturer hee'S ~ u
have the markets of the world opened % HI"
as If they open to him now II ne 'o''''
only get cheap labor as his foreign compet-
tors-and they seem forget that in TINS gran"
opening process we are opening 10 the WI, Wv
best market upon face of the Garth ana that
foreign manufacturers and the Importers "''
awake to this tremendous fact Let US cohs'l''
n case In point: The manufacture Of sPec''o''
IS a comparatively new industry in this country
and under the protection of the tarlH AW'i'0""
vorkmen have been manufact curing spectacIcS LOT
our 100000 of people. and there IL now IN TINS
country the largest establishment or the h'"' III
the whole world with payroll OF }"oo'"0 III io'-'
That this Increase of production has been ior Tue
benefit Of the worlngmon, as well as the p"Dh''
IS proved by the fact that "A much D'tl'I "'"'''
Of steel spectaclcs, with lenses complete Tor use,
Is sold to-day for less than half what was pau
10 the president Of the company WheH ~ wa
working at the bench twenty-five years ago lo'
the work OF making the goods. the matefialS
being supplied him. And yet under the present
tar.G the workirgmen receive cohsluef"p'J "'7"N'
wages than they did at that time.
II is not surprising under the impending disaster
20 American Industries that an impatient importer
is already boasting that he VIII knock out t"'
American manufacturers OF spcctacles "he" N'
Wilson bill passes" and II is known that lor-
clgn manufacturer has obtained samples OF ue
goods manufactured by the above compahy' n"p,, ,,
Gated them in appearance. ana proPoS1a ~
sale prices OF the American company. uhul n'
can break down IN" manufacturers III u i9 I'm a.
Try when very naturally the price wouia De ~
creased That there can b" no Unr'aso''ip.' Iio'.
in the manufacture Of spectacles at pIes'nt ptc
for Labor is shown by the fact, when tn' P'"l'
90 nov uhI'i s'"iu si', a., rnanufacturers com
pared with those charged 10y the retaH dealers;
For Instance. thoroughly good quahty Oh S,eei
,g"ss and II is thrsc goods that the foreign manu-
facturer proposes to sell for SO gross, ui,,l
can fulnl his boast Of knocking out the Ainefi-
can manufacturers under the impending w D ari
bin The very best steel spectac..S@s,o WV {, r
dozen pairs. and II requires no argrih.h' 10 @ror
that nj these prices. with labor at the pteS.tnt
cost there IS not large margin OF pToht aor u,
manufacturers considering the enormous amount
Of detail I'm the manufacture ana the ihleiHItn ~
are MANY hundreds OF styles of spectacle and eye,
glass frames. each mad" In hundfsdS ~ w. ~ 1 th
forms In order to accommodate the wants OF tue
public: and Of lenses which is a new Industry
in this country. 1t requires from ~" 10 ''o
kinds OF powers and combinations 10 meet IN,
demand. And Notwithstanding all inns uetali,
the price OF lenses manufactured III thS . .V
has been reduced fully - per cent uh'c' TIC ~
lstng tariff. ,,
The other unfounded promise of the Free.rraders,
that II the tarIn Is reduced the n9nula ,u,caS
viii BE- amply compensated therefor 10y IRE raw ma.
t"rals" is simply foolish NONSENSE rom N -, - ,b
In the production oi par ~ r. -. rn ,orn-
so-callel raw materials" ~ which my are , i,
thlri ~ cent per pair IhrfeiC', - III p'p'' ~
apparent 20 any thinking man, not blihHri ~
I.lriy zeal that any radical reduction In the tdrn'
thus opening our market 10 the ioFegh manu-,
facturcrs. who pay but a quarter part @t te WIGS
sinppage of the Industry IN this country or a re-
ductlOn the prices paid Tor ldDJt 10 piDu .'
tariff Tor while the cost Of the raw materials
in pair OF steel spectacles IL less man thrI ol
cluded IN rents. fuel. lights, Insurance ana taxes
amounts 20 only about 10 per cent X foh2"s 'haI
And II j. sufficient - show NE in'Ons!lrrh'c ana
rOugh-shO-l character Of the wilson bi' 70 $500
that the same amount 81 protection IS accorded 20
iron beams grlers. car whceis 'c3motyr M r
shee, and hoop iron. ana sheet se,.the '"iy RI"
as Is given 70 this important and delicate industry
Of m ,s gos boIng skilled labor r.
guiring uor. than ordinary intelligence. y greater
measure OF protection - given 70 the manufacture
OF pocket knives, rcQu.rig fAr less care ana ""IN
I'm detail than Il given - the intricate INDUSTRY 81
manufacturing spcctacl and grinding lenses. IhAt
the laboring men are learning that Il reduction III
the tariff means reduction IN the rat" or wages
and II IL a hopeful indication ~ proI'd by tle
fact that the operatives IN the several spectacle
factories In SOuthOriIgc have taken independent
nctlon without the solicitation or nif OF tho en-
ploycrs and sent petition - congress praying
t,r tho defeat Of the Wilson bill This petition has
been placed together with 50 many others Of the
kind. in the mausoleum OF the party now engaged
in aiding the foreign manufacturers 10 knock
nl,' tho industries ~ the Northern states.
Fast Hrmil-d. Mass. Feb .. 1894 NJ II r.