The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-09-12

| nave Dttn u1laDle 10 Hllu any SuHl
cient data regarding the "washboard
and meat choppers" so prominently re-
| ferred to by Chairman Grggs and the
Democratic papers.
Now. Jet us see what the witnesses sale
as to the rates of reduction and the
| reasons therefor. summarize anG
quote: ''Fwenty per cent. lower to off.
set transportation charges and duty
lower on account of Canadian tariff;
! to 10 per cent to commission houses tal-
most always necessary in selling to for
eigners): slightly less at times ON ac-
count of AmeriCau competition Ia natural
result of busy factoriesl: per cent. less;
lower because of drawback: lower to meet
English. French and German [cheap la
borl manufacturers: 70 per cent. lower
to sell surplus Ia frequent reason to get
rid of out-Of-date goodsl; lower by cost
of boxing and delivery; discount. ~ per
cent. which equals cost Of selling in
the United States. Il constant reason in
these days of multifarious American
drummerS to bring the markets to the
merchant instead of the merchant going
to the market in the good, DID, slow
going IDemocraticl days: lower to run
full time Lclearly in the interest of the
American wage earnerl: lower because
terms are cash; lower rather than be
forced out of the market: 10 per cent.
lass to England and Canada. all others
higher; average. to per cent. lower to
meet foreign prices: lower to increase
volume of business at home land employ
more menl: and in one solitary, unfOrtu-
nate se-anvils-''practically at cost to
meet foreign [cheup laborl competition y
The final report of the Industrial COM
mission, Vol. NIN. page t26. sums up on
this point of selling at lower prices
abroad. as follows: "In order to gain
and hold foreign trade it has occasionally
been necessary for both combinations
and individual exporters to make low
prices to foreign purchasers. 1t is in eVi-
dence before the commission that. even
within this country, the more distant
markets receive concessions in price. In
about - per cent Of the cases covered
by the commissions returns the export
prices have ruled lower than those
charged to home consumers. Sometimes
merely surplus stocks have been un-
loaded upon the foreign market. At
other times. when the home demand has
slackened somewhat it has been possible
to keep manufacturing establishments
employed to their full capacity and most
productive efficiency. only by finding Il
foreign market for part of the product,
and that could he best done by cutting
prices.
"rhe practice is quite common In all
count tries. and on the part of separate
tons. Were this plan not adopted, it
would often be necessary TO run the
plants only part Of the time. which
would not merely throw Il portion of the
luborerS ont of employment. but would
also add materially to ,'le cost of pro-
duction of the remaining product. 1t Is
probable, therefore, that when the eX-
port prices have been at cost CD the re-
suit has been, by keeping the plants fully
employed, 10 hold the prices to American
consumers lower than would have been
possible otherwise"
And on page G29. the report further
says: 't'rom such infOrma ton as came
to the Industrial commission in response
to its inquiries addressed to exporters, 1t
is certain that the making of lower
prices abroad than at home has been
greatly exaggerated. About 90 per cent.
of those reporting say that they occa-
sonally make such prices in order to
meet the market and sell their goods:
but so per cent report that they sell at
either the same price abroad as at home,
or at higher prices.
'It Is a fact well known in the com
mercial world that exports from all
countries are often sacrificed in foreign
markets Mote No country and no body
of wage earners suffered more from this
than did we of the United States under
the WisonGorman low free trade actl
wholly irrespective of all tariffs at home.
This was so reported by the royal COM
mission to the British parliament, as far
back as 1878. In which report we find
the following significant language, on
this point particularly:
1.-The laboing classes In the manu-
featuring districts are very little aware
of the extent to which they are often
indebted for being employed at all to the
losses which their employers voluntarily
incur to gain and keep possession of for
egn markets. The practice thus re-
ported upon more than fifty years ago in
a free trade country has since been com
mon to all countries, as Is conclusively
shown by the report of ]. w. jerks. who
Investigated the subject In Europe as
agent of the Industrial commission. 1t
shows commerce which is practically
independent of tariffs and which does
not seem to be preventable by legisla-
iion except on the part of the importing
country. The making Of lower export
prices Is a question of business policy. 1t
Is unpopular and cannot be justified un-
less the benefits to the public are at
least as great as those of the exporters"
The Republican party claims that the
benefits are as great, or greater to the
public as to the exporters, in that no
wage Garner has ever been asked to ac-
cept lower wages for that portion of his
labor on the quantity exported at lower
prices. Consequently, the wage earner's
money has been disbursed among the
public to Just the same amount as would
have been disbursed had not amy article
of his manufacture been so exported
while his employer suffers In lessened in
come. whatever may he the shrinkage
thus incurred 10 help keep his factory
running ON fun time.
This then. is the " head and front of
our offending In the matter OF selling at