Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-06-21
FREE TRADE ABROAD
ENoLAkD's EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN
A LOSING GAME. u II

Industries-They Suffer to tho Extent Of
$500. 600, 900 Year-Want % to Fol-
low Bad Example. &'
We have already shown how the first
step toward free trade is affecting quite
q number of American industries; also
how the breaking down Of our wall OF
protection is enabling us to reach the
markets Of the world. Let us now see
how it works in other countries. Taking
the United Kingdom, where free trade
has been longest in force, and her iron
and steel industries, we find that the
imports and exports Of iron, steel, tin
plate, wire, hardware, coal and ma
chinery compare as follows for period
of ten years, from 1884 to 1894:
Total imports ......... 1855, T4549 e4O8, sos 71a
Total exports. ......... 32,027,575 ZIG, ,239
Total exports Of iron and
steel (tons) 498,352 1855, 125
Imports of iron and steel ~.
(tons) Observation-Disclosures. l2l,8 T,S35
There has been no wall of protection
around the United Kingdom during this
decade, and her manufacturers have had
every possible opportunity to let them
selves out into the markets Of the world,
yet we find that the total British exports
Of iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware,
coal and machinery combined decreased
by over $50, 200, 900 a year between 1884
and 1894.
It would almost seem as If the absence
of wall of protection had worked en-
tire1y contrary to all free trade theories
in England s case, because it has enabled
the foreign manufacturers and producers
Of iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware,
coal and machinery to sell in the English
markets nearly 81 90, 900, 900 worth more
Of their products and manufactures in
1894 than they did in 1884. Free trade
in England has increased the imports Of
the above mentioned goods by nearly
ego, 900, 900 and has decreased the ex-
ports by more than e16,O00,000. The
figures quoted are from the official board
of trade returns.
Taking the quantities Of the English
exports we find that the United King
dom has sold under her policy Of free
trade $40, 900 tons less Of iron and steel
in 1894 than she did in 1884. Her ex-
ports of pig iron decreased by nearly
440, 900 tons; Of bar, angle, bolt and rod
iron by nearly ITO, 900 tons; Of railroad
iron by $685. tons, and of hoops,
sheets and plates she sold 219, 900 tons
less in 1894 than in 1884. Her exports
Of railway carriages decreased in value
from G5O4,315 in 1884 to e277, 900 in
1894. Her exports of railway trucks de-
clined by e254, 900, her exports Of hard
ware and cutlery fell off by l,300,0 900
within ten years. and her exports Of
steam engines decreased by 81, 100000
year. "a
The English desire that we should
adopt their policy Of free trade can hard
" be SO friendly suggestion as our
English admirers would have us believe.
If it has resulted in such enormous losses
in business among the iron, steel, tin
plate, wire, hardware, coal and ma
chinery trades of the United Kingdom,
it is hardly friendly act to encourage
us to practice similar tactics that will
result in similar losses to the United
States.
While England has lost SO much mon
ey and so much trade in these industries
during few years Of free trade, the
United States, on the other hand, under
it's policy. Of protection, has built up
similar industries to an enormous extent
Ito such an extent that we are un-
doubtedly buying less Of these commodi-
ties from our English neighbors and
havehelped materially to diminish their
manufactures and their output Perhaps
this is the real reason why they wish us
to drop our policy Of protection. It
would not be an entirely unselfsh reason.