The age-herald., 1897-08-08
TIE TARIFF BILL AT HOME
 .aaaz Hon. Oscar Underwood Tells of
 Its Effect ON HIS CONSTITUENCY DingIey Bill Does Not Increase Price of Iron and Steel-Highest Duties on Neces-
 sites of Lfe

trict are interested in the new tariff bill. What effect 1t will have on the paople?" Is a common question.
 Hon. Oscar Underwood has studied closely the portions of The bill relating especially to his constituency, and when asked, twill the increased tariff taxes lsvied under the Dingley bill be beneficial to the people of this district?" he re- sponded promptly:
 Your question is one that would re- quire a treatise Ito answer fully, and that can only be barely touched on in news paper interview. But will give you a few of the reasons why belive our dis trict will not derive any benefit from the new tariff bill.
 ''In the fin.tplace, although the repub protection in many campaigns, this is the first instance in it's history when it had boldly proclaimed that the tariff du- ties were levied for the sake of protec- lion ard not for revenue. Part of the caption to the present law is ito encour- age the industries of the Uni.ed States" They have changed the original concep- tion of the founders of their party from moderate duties on imports with incident al protection to demand for protec- tion with an incidental revenue. We should therefore consider whether the present bill will encourage the manufac- lure of iron and steel, the great products of our district.
 '4The most important event in the clos ing decade of the nineteenth century has been the passing of the dominion of iron and steel from Europe to this country, and to certain extent it may be said, to the hills of North Alabama.
 "The American manufacturers of sew ing machines, agricultural implements, bicycles. and many other articles, of which iron and steel are the base of pro- duction. have for some years past gone
 
 the manufacturers of the world, and are today holding the supremacy against all nations. We know that the Carnegies are today shipping steel-railssto Europe, and supplying Russia with armor plate for her battle ships at price much be- low that at which they are willing to furnish the same to our own government. The Birmingham district alone has ex- ported to the markets of Europe 12OOOO,- tons of pig iron, in the last six months and our pipe works, rolling mills and foundrys are going to foreign markets with their surplus products. Our total imports of pig iron for seven months ending January, 1897. was 17,233 tons valued at $389,616, and the total imports of manufacturers of ironand steel Qnclud- ing pig from in that period amounted to $9, $40, 925, while our exports of the manu- lecturers of iron and steel amounted to $31, ,39S978 in the same period and be- the last six months are published they will show large increase of exports over those given above. On the other hand, our chief competitors in Great Britain stand face to face with the ex- haustion of their main supplies of Besse- mer ores in Spain, while they are dread ing the increased cost of steel, of which the limit of the supplyis known.
 
 the exhaustion of the British coal sup ply, said: We cannot but allow that a century of our present progress would exhaust our mines to the depth of 4,OOo feet or 1,500 feet deeper than our pres ent deepest mines., MT. Foster, in dis cussing the capacity of British coal mines says: Tt would appear, therefore, that we are approaching our maximum output of coal.' On account of the great depth of the coal mines in England and Wales, the British miner Is unable to raise as much coal to the surface as the American miner. It is computed that the annual output of coal per man in Great Britain is 283 tons, in the United States 416, but in our bituminous mines, the disparity is much greater. Therefore, the American miner can and should receive double the wages of the English miner, without in- crasing the cost of coal per ton.
 ''The importation of coal into this coun- try is very small, in comparison with our. output, and is practically confined
 
 to 8 territory that lies east of the Alle- ghanies, and north of the Potomac river. Our district is barred out of this terri tory by reason of freight rates, and it is impossible for foreign coal to com pete with us in our own territory With our manufacturers now in con trol of the iron and steel markets of the world. and with practically no iron or steel being imported into this country, how are we to be benefited by protec- | tive tariff? No matter how high 1t is nlaced can a fa riff wa IT. -protacf o.. ta,, of3