Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-06-28
FAILURE ELSEWHERE.
FREE TRADE RUINS ENGLISH
INDUSTRIES AND EXPORTS.

British Iron and Steel Trade Loses
$2OO,OOO,OO Year-A Pernic-
ious Policy That Does Damage
and Observation-Disclosures Kindly
Advises Us to Try Her Medicine.
We have already shown how the
first step toward free trade is affecting
quite number of American indus
tries; 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 King
dom, where free trade has been long
est in force, and her iron and steel in
dustries, we find that the imports and
exports of iron, steel, tin plate, wire,
hardware, coal and machinery COM
pare as follows for a period of ten
years, from 1884-1S94:
1884. 1894.
Total imports 49, -. ase, ,774,549 4os, sos, ,7is
Total exports. -. 1882, ,927,575 216.194,239
Tons. Tons.
and and stee saeGf'. 'ion q, ee,s5a 1855 1875
Imports Of iron and
steel. eel............. 121,s53 1885
There has been no wall of protec-
tion around the United Kingdom dur
ing this decade, and her manufac-
turers have had every possible oppor-
tunity to let themselves 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, 000,0 q year between 1884
and 1894.
1t would almost seem as if the alb.
sence of wall of protection had
worked entirely contrary to all free
trade theories in England's case, be-
cause it has enabled the foreign man
ufacurers and producers of iron, steel,
tin plate. wire, hardware, coal and
machinery to sell in the English mar
kets nearly 100000, 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 sterling and
has decreased the exports by more
than s16, 600, 900 sterling. The figures
quoted are from official Board of Trade
returns.
Taking the quantities of the English
exports we find that the United King
dom has sold under it's policy of free
trade $40, 900 tons less of iron and
steel in 1894 than she did in 1884.
Her exports of pig iron decreased by
nearly 440, ZOO tons; of bar, angle,
bolt and rod iron by nearly 10000
tons; of railroad iron by305, 900 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 f504,315 in
1884 to 9277,00O in 1894. Her ex-
ports of railway trucks declined by
9254,000 her exports of hardware
and cutlery fell off by 91,30O,O 900
within ten years. and her exports of
steam engines decreased by 9l, 1OO,-
900 year.
The English desire that we should
adopt their policy of free trade can
hardly be SO friendly suggestion as
our English admirers would have us
believe. If it has resulted in such enor-
nous losses in business among the
iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware,
coal and machinery trades Of the Uni
ted Kingdom, it is hardly friendly
act to encourage us to practice sin liar
tactics that will result in similar losses
to the United States.
While England has lost SO much
money and so much trade in these in
dustries during few years of FREQ
trade, the United States, on the other
hand, under its policy of protection,
has built up similar industries to an
enormous extent-to such On extent
that we are undoubtedly buying less
of these commodities from our Eng.
lish neighbors and have helped mate.
rally to diminish their manufactures
and their output. Perhaps this is the
real reason why they wish us to drop
our policy of protection. 1t would
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