Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-04
TARIFF TINKEHINe.

the present tariff and such an increase IN
the duties :" as will be consistent with
ADEQUATE protection of our industries but
many of the most enterprising and clear
sighted leaders IN productive operations are
opposed to any legislation. Among these
is Charles ]. Harrah, President of the
MidvaIe Stes' Company. whose works are
among the largest of their kind in the
world. He has addressed the following
letter to the Committee on Ways and
Means of the House of Representatives =
The Midvale Steel Company respectfully
appears before your committee to request
that no change be made in the present
schedules of the tariff relating to the man.
ufacture OF metals and to the materials
either raw or in partly made state, which
are used in the manufacture of medals.
Promising that the object which the COM
mittee has in view is two-fold- first, the
obtaining of sufficient revenue to meet the
requirements of government wisely and
economically administered secondly, the
alienation of the burden of the cost Of
living bearing most heavily on those of our
fellow-citizens who are least able to bear
the load, because of their not being sufi-
and who have to earn their daily wage by
the labor of their hand-the Midvale Steel
Company would represent to the honor
able members OF the committee that any
increase in the rate of duty on articles
imported into this country must neces-
sarily diminish its revenue, because it
would shut off or deminish to a certain
extent the importation of such articles,
and, on the other hand, increasing the cost
of the article to the consumer to the extent
of the increase of the tariff would diminish
the market for such articles and at the
same time increase the cost of living. The
very objects, therefore, that the committee
seeks to attain would be defeated by any
change of the tariff in the direction of any
increase of rates, but would be promptly
and efficaciously reached by the diminution
of the present existing duties. While this
additional tax might to a small extent in
crease the business of the manufacturer, and
profit coming to him in this indirect
manner must necessarily inure to his sole
benefit. because the question of wages is
one of supply and demand and cannot in
any way be affected by tariff legislation,
and no manufacturer would permit any
false sentiment to influence him to pay the
laborer one dollar more for wages than the
market supply of labor would warrant 1t
is well known to the honorable members of
the committee that the price at which
nearly every article manufactured in this
country is sold is not based on its cost as
much as st is fixed by agreement or under
standing between manufacturers, who
regulate the amount of product and the
output to the factories, points of deliveries
and the prices and terms at which the
manufactured article is sold. The Midvale
Steel Company is engaged in the manu-
facture of steel solely, and as an instance
of the effect Of the tariff on its business it
would mention that the prices of tires lone
of its prOducts) has not been affected in the
slightest manner by the differences existing
between the existing tariff 1.-THE Wilson billy
and the tariff formerly enforced Commonly
known as the Mckinley bill Whereas the
schedule under the former tariff was %
cents per pound, aud the base price of tires
was four cents per pound, to-day the base
price of tires is still four cents per pound,
and the schedule is II cents per pound.
Nor has the Wilson bill affected the mum
Der of tires manufactured in this country to
any appreciable extent. The Midvale
Steel Company is the largest maker of this
product in the United States and one of
the largest in the world, and its business
has steadily increased from year to year.
Another branch of manufacture in which
the Midvale Steel Company is engaged is
steel castings. That the rate of duty on
steel castings is more than sufficient for the
protection of this branch of industry in the
United States is best evidenced by the fact
that the castings made of steel are sold in
England at between thirty and fifty per
cent. higher prices than obtained in this
country and in France at oyer one per
cent. higher than prevail in the United
States. The MidYale Steel Company is at
present earnestly engaged in increasing it's
trade abroad, and it greatly fears that any
increase OF duty in the metal schedules, by
exciting retaliatory measures On the part of
foreign nations, may have disastrous results
to this new expansion of trade. While not
wishing 10 any way to point out to your
honorable committee the method by which
American manufacturers might be encour-
aged, the Midvale Steel Company would
respectfully offer to the consideration of its
members the suggestion that by making
such treaties with neigbboring friendly
nations on reciprocal commercial basis
that would induce them to build up a
more intimate commercial intercourse with
the United States, the members of the com
uittees would be doing patriotic act and
deserve well at the hands of THAR fellow
citizens
COngressman-elect james R. Young says
in his Washington correspondence of the
PHILADELPHIA Star
The arbitration treaty grows less and
less in favor the more it is studied The