The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-06-14
FREE TRADE ABROAD
EksLAND'S EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN
A LOSING GAME.

Enormous Losses In British Iron and Steel
Industries-They Suffer tn the Extent of
SeOO.OOO,OOO a Year-want Us tn Fol-
low "a had Example.
step toward free trade is affecting quite
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:
1854 1894.
Total imports .... $3.50 IA, $40 RiOS, sos us
Total exports .......... 232 g21 go PIG, 1874 239
Total exports of iron and
steel (tons) 496.352 2,656 125
Imports Of iron and steel
TONS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES lEl,ooo iloDl
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, 900, 600 a year between 1884
and 1894.
1t would almost seem as if the absence
of wall of protection had worked en-
tirely contrary to all free trade theories
in Englandss 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 800, 600, 900 worth more
of their products and manufactures i'll
1894 than they did i'll 1884 Free trade
in England has increased the imports of
the above mentioned goods by nearly
e20, 900, 900 and has decreased the ex-
ports 10y more than 5000, 600. 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, 600 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 10, 600 tons; of railroad
iron by 800, 900 tons, and of hoops,
sheets and plates she solf219, 600 tons
less in 1894 than in 1884 Her exports
Of railway carriages decreased in value
from G504,3l5 in 1884 TO G277, 600 III
1894. Her exports of railway trucks de-
clined by god, 600, her exports of hard
ware and cutlery fell off by Ct 800, coo
within ten years, and her exports of
steam engines decreased by 81 100, 600
a year.
The English desire that we should
adopt their policy of free trade can hard
ly be SO friendly suggestion as our
English admirers would have us believe.
If it has resulted in such enormous losses
i'll business among the iron, steel, tin
plate, wire, hardware, coal and ma
chincry trades of the United Kingdom,
it is hardly IA friendly act to encourage
us TO practice similar tactics that will
result III similar losses to the United
States.
While England has lost so much mon
ey and SO much trade III these industries
during few years of free trade, the
United States, on the other hand, under
its policy of protection, has built up
similar industries TO an enormous extent
to such an extent that we are I'M
doubtedly buying less of these commodi-
ties from our English neighbors and
have helped materially 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 not be an entirely unselfish reason.