The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-18
MORE PROOFS TO THE POINT.

The evidences that the activity in
business and the great hustle in manu-
features. with the increase in wages
and the circulation of money once
more, are indications of permanent
prosperity grow stronger every day,
and are recognized everywhere among
the people who have eyes to see and
tongue to speak the truth
It has been frequently remarked that
the iron and steel trade is a sort Of
business guage and that when it is in
full blast other industries also -four
ish The Herald has published facts
and figures in relation to that trade,
with the consequent increase of rail-
road transportation and business. as
proofs of the prosperity that has come
to that industry, and that it is not
mere temporary revival. We now clip
the annexed paragraph from the Rail
way Age, as pointer in the same
direction:
One of the most sensational features
of the recent remarkable advance in
the prices OF iron and steel was the
price of steel rails this week. Nine
months ago rails were bought at S21
and S22 per ton; today the price is $2S
and S29 per ton, an increase of about
40 per cent. 1t is most encouraging to
see the iron market showing such en-
phatic signs of revival, but there is
danger in too high prices. and the
manufacturers seem to realize it, A
meeting is reported to have been
called by some of the Pittsburg con-
Germs to consider the matter and to
prevent if possible a riotous increase
of prices that would if unchecked GER
tsinly do much harm.
The important point to be perceived
IN this is that under the Democratic
tariff this industry is Furnishing,
which, according to our Republican
prophets of evil, was to be utterly
ruined. Their predictions were based
on the false theory that protection
was absolutely necessary to the very
life of that class of manufactures. and
that as soon as the essential protection
Of the Mckinley tariff was removed,
down would go the business and ever
lasting woe would ensue.
AS further evidence that under the
operations of the Democratic tariff the
very opposite has come from that
which was prognosticated, not only a
to its effects at home but its results
abroad, we take the following from
The Age of Steel:
The announcement by the directors
of the steel works at Barrow-fn-Fur-
ness, Great Britain, that the works
would be closed for an indefinite period.
indicates the gravity of the rail trade
situation. The company declares its
inability to make a profit of their pro-
duct at present prices, and at the rate
OF wages demanded by their operatives.
The mills are said to be the largest in
the kingdom. They were eouinned With
eighteen converters, and the output
ran up to the hundred thousand ton
mark In the earlier days of the Bes-
semer steel rail, consumption ranged
from 100000 to 100000 tons, and the
plants engaged in their manufacture
did business to their full capacity.
Some of these have closed down ana
others are doing but a desultorv and
unsatisfactory business. The Barrow
stoppage at this crisis is an unpleasant
emphasis on the distressed condition
VI the Idoe. some months since wages
were reduced to figure determined on
by an arbitrator. This was NOT alto
gether satisfactory to the worknen
who have since insisted on a wage
rate at the old level. The management
declares its inability to run the works
on these conditions, and have no al
Tentative but shutting down the plant.
Thus. while this industry is flourish
ing in the United States where Repub-
licans declared it would become a
wreck under the tariff reform bill, 1t
is perishing in Great Britain where it
was foretold that it would be so in
creased as to close up American mills
and furnaces How much more proof