The Washington times., 1901-09-27
4 BENEFIT TO ENGLAND.
Robert r. Porter on the Commercial
Invasion of England.

I Amv0S1Om Oh Hn&A0RQs
| NEW YORK, Sept 2e.-Robert p. Por-
| ter, ex-Director of the Census, who re-
| turned from q three months visit to Eu-
! rope yesterday, was seen by reporter
| shortly after landing, and in answer to
! some questions regarding the American
invasion of European markets and kin
| dred topics, discussed the economic sit
uation on both sides of the Atlantic.
| Mr.. Porter laid special stress on the sew
eral American industries now being estab-
| lished in England. The Westinghouse
| Company is building a plant there which
will employ from 5000 to 6,0oO Engiishmen.
| and the English branch of our linotype
machine company will give work to about
| 5000 subjects of the King. '-The main
point is that England. being q. sree-trade
country. enjoys privileges In other coun-
tries from which we are debarred, and
this makes the United Kingdom an ex-
| cellent distributing point for our commod-
tiles. In the case of those countries which
| have maximum tariff list and mini
mum an American factory In England en-
| joys the rights granted to the land upon
which 1t stands; 1t may demand the min
| imum tariff.
Now, the difference between the maxi
| mum list and the minimum is sometimes
as high as 20 per cent, and often exceeds
the entire profit margin on the given COM
| modify. Is there anything strange in
some of our Industries seeking to estab-
lish themselves in England? Should the
movement In this direction continue the
effect of 1t on our labor market would be
very palpable indeed. Imagine the Nc
Cormicks and the Deerings pulling out
Suppose, too. that American shoes are
made In Manchester, and that other Of
our industries are built up on the other
side instead of our European trade being
fed from the original source. While our
own home trade is safe and no foreign
country Is In a position to oust US from
our domestic markets. the benefit accru-
ing to American labor and our population
at large from those factories which. while
being in the United States. cater to Rus
sia, Austria or Germany, this benefit may
dwindle as result OF our tariff relations
with some of the European Powers.
But If the Senate confirms the recf-
procity treaties now under consideration,
we, too, will be on the minimum list, so
that in many cases where our industries
would be driven to England they will be
able to stay and grow at home. Export
is not an unmixed blessing. You can't
sell without buying some things as Pres
ident Mckinley said. Our own market is
so well protected that we can afford to
buy
'.As to the situation on the other side.
Continental Europe, especially Germany.
has very little to boast of. Germany is
suffering from oyerproduction. Compa-
MES which paid dividend of from 10 to
80 per cent are short of orders. This, to-
gether with the tariff situation (the re-
vision of the German tariff is still pend
ing). seems to have disastrous effect on
industrial conditions. You see, protection
is a coat which does not fit every country
equally well While it has proved to be
source of stupendous economic growth
in the United States it will be anything
but helpful in Germany. The point is that
we raise all the raw material and neces-
saries of life we need. while the Father
land cannot get along without imports in
this connection.
THE inevitable result of the protective
tariff now under contemplation in that
country viii be to increase the price of
bread and other necessaries. as well as
of raw material. This will affect German
competition injuriously, of course. 1t
must be borne in mind that Germany of
today is no more an agricultural country
than England is, and that the seif-sus-
tanning capacity of the United States is
out of the question there. Germany is
trying to bolster up her Industries by
large bounty on sugar, and by an enor-
mously increased duty on cereals, but so
far from relieving the situation it will
aggravate it.
The most interesting point to me is
the fact that notice has been served upon
the United States of concerted effort
a combine directed against our COM
mercial supremacy. We are growing so
fast tnat Europe has taken alarm. Is
n n tfes
ment seriously? If, there is / don't see
1t. The Powers of Europe have never
been able TO agree on a single step of i'm
portance. They are too busy gouging
each others eyes out to unite for any
serious move against a common foe no
matter how grave the danger Were they
ahfe to unite against Napoleon Well
and new that Uncle Sam stands before
them as commercial Napoleon, they are
engaged in an international tariff war
England is the only country in Eu-
rope which is looking on the tariff war
unconcernedly. She is on a bedrock of
economic security, and while she has lost
some industries. she is building up others
She has actually reached a period where
her persistently consistent policy has TAX
en- a turn for the better. Free trade fits
her in the same way as protection fits u.s.
The result is, as i have pointed out. that
many new industries are springing up on
her soil for the simple reason that as
free trade country she has benefits to Of
fer which other countries lack, and is thus
the natural distributing centre of Europe.
Twenty years ago, when l was sent
over to England to investigate conditions
there | found that English factories were
establishing branches in America. Now
the proposition is reversed. Now We are
building factories In England To be sure
this shows that instead of being economic
infants we are ahead of the game. but
it also shows that England is profiting
by her policy in way We never dreamed
Of"