The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-03-09
WORST YEAR WE'VE HAD.
Tariff Hurts Americas Textile Trade
with RoIfaSt.

WASHINGTON, March 8, 1895.-7Ihe
year 1854 has been an almost uninter-
rupted period of commercial depression
everywhere, but for Belfast especially
1t may certainly be classed as the most
disastrous year we have ever experienced.
This information is conveyed to the
Department of State by Consul Taney, at
Belfast, in report on the conditlon
of trade for the year 1894.
The year, he says, has been very try
,ng one in nearly all branches of busi-
ness, caused, to a large extent, by the
prolonged stagnation of trade in the
United States and the shrinkage In values
for which the time occupied in remodel
.ng the tariff law is hello largely respon-
sible.
This statement he says. may seem
strange until it is understood that the
chief industry of Belfast and vicinity IN
.he manufacture Of faxen textiles and
chat the United States consumes from
In this connection Mr.. Taney quotes as
follows from the proceedings of the Bel
fast Chamber of Commerce.
Our principal consumer, the United
States. took during the year over f,o0O-
300 yards of white finished goods and
amounted to 15O0OO. 900. it will be seen
hat the States take more than all our
either countries put toi'ether; To Hhe
States. however. the linen trade owes a
great deal of its prosperity and it is not
generally known that England's COM
nerce. with e3.ooo.Mo people under the
stars and Stripes amounts to quite as
much as her trade with the 3SSoo0.ooO
under the British flag.
America, therefore, Is the best friend
meres is the strongest tie to inter-
national friendship, and long may the
two great English speaking nations be
eommeree comma egeneaF ana kSzhp aS ss o. OF
THE shrinkage in values" continues
Mr.; Taney. from whateyer cause, has
Rave Rad tine estimate most pang It at
The result of this was to eat up all the
profit and to curtail the production, In
some cases, to one-fourth to one-third
The severe winter played an important
part in the distress which prevails and
the city authorities have been compelled
relieve the widespread want, frequently
bordering ON starvation.
Mr.. Taney gives as a part of his re
port the following abstract from a speech
Of the President of the Belfast Merchants
Association, when that body were con-
sidering the effect of the recent tariff
-Four chief desideratum, with regard to
American customs duties is that the tariff
should be rarely altered. If the rates
are high it is the Americans who pay
''Mr Mckinley has said, Tt is the for
eigners who pay the tariff But is this
not almost childish. for. If we send f10O
worth of goods to the States and pay
f35 Of duty on that f100 worth. we shall
certainly not sell these goods for less
than f135."
In conclusion the report says that with
the passage of the tariff law in the
United States. orders began increasing.
and business in the textile industry re-
vived until the demand is now equal to
what it was at any time within the past
five years. This revival is so pronounced
that it has brought the total exports of
linen piece goods, in 1894, up to 1855, $780,
600 yards as against 158, $4,000 yards,
valued at s17, ,537.216 in the preceding
year. showing a diminution of barely one
and one-half per cent; in quantity and
four per eent. in value. whereas. for
seven months ending in July of 1894,
as compared with the same months IN
the five previous years. 1t has fallen off
twenty Der cent. in quantity and value
He will be much surprised. he says, If
some of the textile manufacturers ON the
other side (the United States) do not
soon see the Importance of this trade
and utilize their inventive genius to sup
ply 1t with "a home product as there GER
tainly must be some material at hand
that can be converted into an excellent
substitute for the Irish ''ser.m" at low
erIIrn fhor1 If oon ha irnnorta1