Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-04
The Selling Price Abroad.

AT a price lower than that which: their
customers here at home are forced to
nay. This assertion and that which
l.olds that the higher cost of living in
these times of prosperity is due wholly
To the "oppressions" Of the tariff law
have been punctured repeatedly by the
Republican congressional campaign
committee, this fall.
III pamphlet just published the
committee quotes the authoritative re-
port of the Industrial commission.
which is made up of protectionists and
free traders, Republicans and Demo
Gratis. which gave this question a very
careful inquiry, and stated, as a re-
suit. that 1.-THE making Of lower prices
abroad than at home has been greatly
exaggerated About 20 per cent. of
the expoit ting houses questioned by th..
Industrial Commission said that they
occasionally made lower prices. in or
der TO meet the market, and sell their
goods, but 50 per cent. repOrlcu ti'',
they sold abroad either at the same
price as at home, or at "A higher price.
The Industrial commission added:
THE practice is quite common in all
countries, and on the part of the sep
arate establishments as well as OF
combinations. Were this plan not
!,
run the plants only part of the time.
which would not merely throw a por-
ton Of the laborers out of employment
bur would also add materially TO the
cost of production of the remainSnt1
product. 1t is probable. therefore. that
when the export prices have been AT
cost, the result has been, by keeping
the plants fully employed, to hold the
prices to American consumers lower
than would have been possible other
wise
Concerning the low price abroad OF
American agricultural machinery the
Democrats have laid especial emphasis.
Their claims in this matter are shown
to be wholly false. They had claimed.
for instance, that our reapers and bind
ers can be bought more cheaply In
Australia than here. The Republican
committee has written to Australian
dealers and 1t was found that a ma
chine which sold in our Western towns
for from $40 to sl25 brought from $15s
reaper ana binder of the latest pattern
| sole i'm Australia for from $163 to Sl9l.
The same machine sold in Iowa for $l20.
| AS to sewing machines. which have
been loudly exploited by the tariff re-
| formers" il was discovered that the
| New Home. a familiar type, brought 500
| IN Australia. while s35 was paid for the
| identical machine in the United States.
Another correspondent of the Republi-
| can congressional committee, who has
Travelled much on business in Europe.
has written to the Dcs Moines Register:
/ y SelI-Dllu'E llltt lptdiS loI Tl-'' III
| Iowa retails for S225 in Austria A sew
| ing machine that retaiis for $50 in Dcs
| Moines retails for 1855 in Brussels. And
| If the United States Steel Corporation
sells rails cheaper in Europe than in
America. how comes it that 5000 tons
of English made steel rails We're i'm
| ported into this country last month";
Another article which has figured con-
spicuously in the tariff smas ching litera-
| ture is the typewriter. Ii has been as
serted that American typewriters. SELL
ing in this country for s1GO. could he
| Babcock of the Republican congress
| sonal comriittee himself made inquiry
on this point of Messrs. Wyckofr, Sea-
| mans x Benedict. proprietorS of the
i Remington. These gentlemen replied
| The Remington typewriter which lists
i'm this country ut practically $40. is
| listed by our agents and dealers in for
-ign countries ut from 50 to $25 over our
| list price in this country. the list price
depending upon the amount of the duty
and freight charges which our repre-
sentatives have to pay
| Again, the Democratic ..arsument,
has included the assertion that sewing
machines of American make can be
bought more cheaply in England than
here. The Singer machine was taken
as an Illustration. 1t turns out that
the Singer sewing machines, which, il
is declared, can be purchased in Eng
land very much more cheaply than
here. are actually made in England
with iower-priced labor, and that mo
Singer sewing machines are exported
from this country to Europe the Eng
fish factory supplying that market"
On this point the report of the Twelfth
census is quoted: I'm recent years
American sewing machine manufac-
turers. finding it impossible on account
of the difference in the rates of wages.