Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-07-11
COAL, IRON AND TIN,
THREE GREAT INDUSTRIES HAVE
DEVELOPED.
Prodnc tion in the United States, Under
Protective Tariff, Has Far Exceeded
That of other Countries in
Our Factories,

Z >
The coal production of the United
Kingdom during thirty years, during
all of which time that country has been
under low tariff, only increased from
115,000,0o0 tons to 226o00,000 tons, or
| little less than 100 per cent, Ger
many, which adopted a protective tar
i'll about the middle of the period un-
der consideration, has increased her
coal output from 3G.000,000 tons TO l44,-
| 100000 tons--a growth of 500 per cent.
France, also a protection country, in
creased her output from 1907 $3.50 tons
in 1868 TO 35,T4S.644 tons in $685. an
increase of 100 per cent The United
States, which has been constantly UNI
der protective tariff law during that
| period with the exception of three
| years. increased her output from 3D.
| 6@S,s60 tons in 1865 to 25S $50. $50 tons
| in lSE}-an increa Sc of over 100 Fer
cent. II must be remembered in addi-
ton to this, that tae United States has
| consumed in her ''actories, on her rail-
ways, and among her people practical
! ly all of this enormous increase, our ex-
! ports of coal avers ging less than 3 per
cent. of our total production, while
Great Britain has been for years large
! exporter of coal
Our production in 1894, the year in
which the free trade tariff was enact
ed, fell to 170,)00000 tons as against
| 1S2,0o0,0o In he preceding year, and
| the value of tn product fell from $685.
100000 in 1898 to $1S6,o00000 in 1894
loss In single year of 22,0O0o13 in
| this one article in which labor forms so
| important part of its value.
| In 1891, under protection and tha az
| tiyity of the great industries of the
country, the average number of days in
| which the men in the coal mines of the
| United States were employed was 232.
/ IN 1898, the year in which n low-tarlff
President and Congress came into
power, the number of days in which
the miners were employed dropped to
POI, and in 1924 dropped again TO ITS;
while in 1897, the last year of the VIII
/ son tariff, the number was but 1T9, q
reduction of 20 per cent. in Il time In
/
| pared with 1891 The figures for 1898
show marked increase a the num-
| Der of days employed and an increase
of $4,000 men as compared with 1888,
while 1t Is apparent that the figures for
1899 will. when completed show a
much larger increase, since the product
| in tS99was 39,000.o0o tons greater than
In 1898, and $1,000 600 greater than in
1894, an increase Of nearly 20 per cent
in production and % per cent. in value
of the product.
Pig iron production in the United
States has increased from 1885. 191
tots in 1880 to 1850 T03 tons in 1890
which year placed the United States AT
4 tie head of the iron and steel produc
ing nations of the world. The pig-iron
production of 1892 was 9.157 900 tons
In 1898 the year of the Inauguration Of
Democracy and free trade. II fell to
1924 900 tons; In 1894 10 6,657 900 tons,
and in 1896 was bus S.G33,0o0 tons. The
year 1897. in which protection was
again adopted, showed an increase ia
$685., $50 tons. and in 1890 an increase
to $500 703 tons. Thus the fall from
the last year of President Harrison to
1894, the year in which the Democratic
tarilc was enacted. was 2,199,622 tons,
or - per cent, while the increase OF
1890 over 1885, the last full year under
the Democratic tariff, was 4,997.57C
tons or 81 per cent.
The average annual price Of steel
rails during the period of protection
| from 1880 10 1898, fell from $6T.50 in
1880. to SOS. 10 in 1893. In 1894, the
year in which the low tariff was adopt
ed. there was a fan of S4 per ton, but
the price returned TO SIS in 1896, drop.
ping TO $3.50 in 1897. the year In
which the protective tariff was again
adopted. SiT.62 Ia 1895. and returned IN
1899 to S2S.12, the figure at which II
stood in 1898 and 1896
Under this long period of protection
and the development Of the manufac
turing industries which accompanied It
the imports Of iron and steel fell from
ST.. 266, 600 to $12, 100. 400, and the man
ufaeturers, besides supplying the enor
| mons addition to the home market
which this reduced Importation i'm
niles also increased their expectation
Of iron and steel manufactures from
S14T 1G.524 in 1880 to sos. 7IG,03t il
1890. In the year 1900 the total will
| amonnt to Sl20.oO0,OOO. or more than
| eight times that Of 1880