, 1899-12-07
AS TO EXPORT PRICES
NOT NOW ON FOREIGN RAD
GAIN COUNTERS.
In Free Trade Tarin Times American
Manufacture Were Sometimes Ex-
ported at a Loss. but That Condition
No Longer tx SITS.

loWer price than American consumers
are required to pay is one of the prin-
cipal counts in the Indictment which
Tree traders bring against the Ameri-
can policy of protection. Indeed, this.
together with the claim that trusts are
rostered and promoted by protection Is
Almost the only ground OF attack re-
naming for the free traders. The
splendid facts of a revived domestic
trade,of a wonderfully enlarged export
trade, and Of a general condition of I'M
precedented prosperity growing out of
the restoration of a protective tariff,
these great facts are so patent and so
lhdlsputable that the free trader of to-
DAY Is reduced to the extremity of op-
posing protection on two pretexts only,
that Of responsibility for trusts, and
that of enabling our manufacturers to
make big profits IN the goods they sell
at home while selling the same class
OF goods to foreigners at much lower
prices.
The first of these indictments-that
relating to the trusts-is easily dis
posed OF by the proof that trusts thrive
in free trade Great Britain fully as
well as in protected America, and that
the most powerful OF all our domestic
trusts are those which are not in the
least degree affected or benefited by a
protective tariff.
The assertion that protection lays an
unjust burden upon our own people ny
compelling them to pay higher prices
than foreigners pay for goods produced
IN this country prove to be quite in the
nature OF a boomerang. To begin with,
the assertion Is at present false and
promises to remain false for some time
to come. 1t is downright absurdlty to
suppose that, with our mills and fac
tories running overtime in order to
catch up with orders for goods, u
manufacturers are sacrificing any part
OF their profits in order to sell abroad
at reduced prices goods which they are
unable to supply in sufficient volume
to meet the domestic demand. Ameri-
can business men don't do business
that way.
Present information bearing upon
this point is at hand in the shape OF a
report Just put out by the treasury
bureau of statistics. whose energetic
chief, Mr.. Austin, has just made a tour
OF observation to the manufacturing
centers of New England and the Mid
die states. Mr.. Austin concludes that IL
the places included in his visit are
fairly representative of the conditions
generally existing among manufactur-
ing establishments throughout the
! country. as they undoubtedly are, there
can be no occasion for complaint that
mills and men are lacking employ
ment. Mr.. Austin visited the cotton,
wooden, worsted, silk, fiber, carpet,
print goods. rubber, loot and shoe, hat,
pottery and watch and clock manufac-
turing establishments, and in no case
did he find a lack of orders for the
manufacturers or of employment for
men and women during employment.
On the contrary the great cotton,
wooden, silk and other textile mills are
running on full time and overtime.
while the manufacturers OF rubber
goods. boots and shoes, clothing and
pottery reported their orders far In
excess Of their capacity to fill with
promptness.
Jul sAASi oaiu Az NAN
ager of a great mandatory of rubber
clothing. lis to get a sufficient number
of employees and sufficient machinery
to meet our orders. The crude rubber
we can get. though the importations of
that are increasing rapidly, and the
price advancing because of the in
creased demand; out the costly ma
chinery and the skilled labor which are
to do the work are not so easily had
We maintain constantly a school for
the instruction OF young men and
women in the lines OF work required
in our factory, and yet with the con-
slant reduction OF our force by the de-
mands upon 1t from other mills of this
character, we are short OF hands and
unable to keep up with our orders"
Similar statements were made by the
managers of other manufacturing es-
adjustments. The cotton mills, wooden
mills and silk manufacturing establish
monts were running at their full Ca
pacity, and in some cases over hours.
while the great loot and shoe manu-
| featuring establishments were reported
| weeks behind with their orders, which
come from all parts Of the United
States and of the world. During the
last eight months between $1,000, 900
and 50, 0O0.0 900 worth of boots and
shoes, the product of American faoto-
! ries, have been sent out OF the coun-
try, the total OF the eight months be-
ing double that OF the corresponding
months OF 1898. or this large expor-
tation Of this single product of our fac
tories the exports to the United King
dom alone were SAT-. 734. against $685.
ITS in the corresponding months OF
last year; to the West Indies. $467. $40.
against sl67. APO in the corresponding
months OF last year; to British Aus
tralasia. $685., 439. against s20S. 1888 In
the corresponding months OF last year;
to Mexico, 5000, $50, against s66, Sl6 in
the corresponding months OF last year;
to Africa. s94.605, against $54,653 in
the corresponding months OF last year.
.-LtI. uhKnr,AnNa alun Una1a m