The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-21
AN OLD TRICK REVIVED.

AN OLD TRICK REVIVED.
Representative Griggs, OF Georgia, chair
man Of the Democratic congressional COM
mittee has given out some figures designed
to show that Americans are paying much
more for a class of merchandise than the
manufacturers offer the same to those who
export such goods. The probability is that
Mr.. Griggs's figures are not correct. For
instance. he makes the price of wire nails
$2.25 per keg to home consumers and Sl.SO
10 foreigners. At the present time the steel
billets out of which wire nails are made
are quoted at S31.5 to s33 In Pittsburg 1t is
not probable that wire nails in any quaint
ties are being sold to exporters for consid-
erably less than the material out of which
they are made is quoted at the headquar-
ters of the steel industry. AS the duty on
wire nails is half cent pound the ex-
porters could make a good thing by ship
ping them and paying the duty. Wire rope
is another article which, according to Mr..
Griggs, is sold here at s12 per hundred
pounds. but to the foreigner at So Now, the
duty on this class of goods cannot be more
than three-fourths of a cent a pound. On
100 pounds it would be 1915; consequently
the exporter could make money by purchas-
ing at IS, shipping it to Liverpool. reship-
ping 1t to New York and paying the duty,
S. After paying the foreign price and the
duty and the freight there would be a profit
left TO the foreign shipper by resellng in
this country. These are samples, but they
go TO show that Mr.. Griggs has doubtless
been willingly deceived by his figures.
Another article which Mr. Griggs quotes
is typewriters. He says that the American
price is 800 and the price to exporters is
sos. n very good typewriter can be pur-
chased for $50, even if the best cost $780,
The manufacturers have a monopoly in
their patents which has nothing 10 do with
the tariff. Nevertheless. it is not probable
that the manufacturers of the favorite ma
chimes, who have about all that they can
do to supply the home demand at 500
machine would offer them to foreign deal
ers for $50 In other words. the Griggs
statement is extremely improbable Another
article in the Griggs list is axle-grease.
The American is required TO pay cents a
pound. but the exporter if Mr.. Griggs is
not misirformed, gets it for half that
price. AS the duty on the best kinds of
grease, not classified as foods, is only three
fourths of a cent a pound, what money
there would be to the exporter in pur-
chasing axle-grease at cents a pound and
reshipping it to the United States and SELL
ing at cents
The most of the articles in the list of
Mr.. Griggs come under the iron and steel
schedule, which is almost the same in the
Dingley tariff as that which the Democratic
Congress adopted in 1894. Indeed, applying
the ad valorem rates OF the German Will
son tariff law to present prices. the duties
of 1895 would be higher than those of the
Dingley law. which are on a specific basis
as far as possible. The prices of iron and
steel have advanced in the United States
because the largely increased production
has not been able TO keep pace with the
demand. During the business depression of
1S94-96 the prices of pig iron and steel rails
were sometimes lower in the United States
than in Great Britain At the present
time iron and steel goods are higher here
than abroad because of the demand, but
with duty of seven-twentieths of a cent a
pound very few steel rails are imported be-
cause the foreign prices are so near those OF
| this country.
/ The practice of selling goods at lower
| prices for expectation than they are sold at
home is universal. Great Britains ex-
| porters adopted that policy years ago to
check or crush out the rising industries OF
/ this country. When the Walker tariff was
/ put in force Great Britain sold iron in this
/ country at prices which bankrupted nearly
/ every iron furnace owner in the United
/ States. When the American industry was
\ crippled the prices were Immediately ad-
vanced. Under that policy. after the Ameri-
can pig-iron furnaces had been closed. the
price of that article in 1854 was $S6SS ton
refined bar iron. s9lS3 ton, and cut nails
/ s4,76 a hundred pounds. The highest price
OF pig iron in recent years was sl9.9S, while
that OF the best refined bar iron was $44 q
ton in 1900 and cut nails $2.4S key Not
| many years ago, soon AFTER the passage Of
the Mckinley tariff act. which put the tin.
plate industry on it's feet, the British tin
plate makers, in the hope of preventing
the success of the business in this coun
try, urged their men to accept lower wage.
to the end that tin-plates might be sold a
4 so low price in the United States that tn,
attempt to make them here would fail.
Representative Griggs is likely. befor,
many weeks shall have passed, to hea
more OF his list than he will like.
The address of the coal miners conven
ton to the public will attract attention AM
win favorable consideration because of tn
temperate tone in which the miners caus