Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-09-17
Blue BOOK ISSUED
Shows Various Aspects of Brit
ish and Foreign Trade and
Industrial Conditions.
COMPARISONS WITH AMERICA
Wages Better in United states-creat
Britain Dependent on Imported
Wheat--American Tariffs Hurt Iron
and Steel Trade.

and Steel Trade.
London. Sept 17.-On the heels of
Premier Balfour's academic exposition
of his personal views of the fiscal prob
lem, contained in the pamphlet on In
sular Free Trade" came the long
promised and much demanded govern
ment statistics dealing with that sub
jeet They were issued by the board
of trade in the shape Of blue book OF
nearly 500 pages of bewildering tables
of figures showing the various aspects
of British and foreign trade and the
industrial conditions. No deductions
were drawn, though the publication
teens with interesting notes upon
what are regarded as points of fact.
The references to foreign trade were
chiefly confined to France, Germany
and the United States.
Dealing exhaustiyely with the tar
ifs of all nations the blue book says
the American system of drawbacks
necessarily results in inequality of
treatment, and may yield an export
bounty to the best equipped manufac
turers while others sustain a loss.
In a table showing the ad valorem
equivalent to import duties levied by
foreign countries on the principal arti-
eles Of British export Russia comes
first with 131 per cent, the Unitel
States next with 70 per cent, and Aus
tria follows with SIS per cent Though
Germany comes sixth, it is pointed OH
that her existing tariff is SO eIectiye
as to he more highly protective against
Great Britain than the percentage
shows.
Treaties Prevent Trade Reservation.
Before the trade of the united king,
dem and any of the colonies could be
reserved to British vessels the board
of trade states that the existing treat
les with Austria, Greece and other
countries would have to be denounced.
The tables show that the united
kingdom is most dependent on import
ed wheat, the United States being
wholly independent.
The question Of wages and the eess
of living, especially in the price Of
food, which has figured so largely in
the recent Chamberlain agitation.
takes up pages AID is summed UP as
follows:
The average level of wages in the
United States is IL times greater
than In the united kingdom. while in
Germany WAGES are only two-thiris
and in France three-fourths of the av-
erage prevailing in the united king.
dom"
The percentage Of family incomes
taking New York as the capital of the
United States, is estimated Con the
basis of 100 per cent for the united
kingdom). for the United States 1913
per cent, for France SO per cent and
for Germany So per cent.
The mean weekly rate of wages in
skilled trades in the United States is
estimated at 179 per cent and in the
united kingdom at 100 per cent
Members of Alfred Moseley's former
commission supply series of con-
fieting answers to questions anent
the feeding and payment of American
workers. The majority incline to the
belief that allowing for the conditions
there is little difference In the United
States from the united kingdom
Iron and Steel Industry.
Dealing with the iron and steel
trade, the board reports that employ
ment has fallen off in the united king.
dom since the introduction OF tlH
American tariffs, but that very few
works have actually been closed. it
points out that imports from the Unit
ed States have decreased since 1900.
The trusts of all countries come in
for minute and impartial discussion.
Pages are filled with extracts from
the report of the American industrial.
commission, though it frankly says
the precise value of information en-
anating from officers of corporations
which are we'll aware of the sus-
picion, if not the positive aversion
with which they are regarded by q
large section of the United States" is
rot easy to appraise
The report also says:
THE available evidence goes 20
show that the United States for some
time past for the most part has been
able to absorb a great proportion CT
he total output, and during th!s neriol
or exceptionally good trade In the
American home market the induce.
ment on the part of the American
trusts to dump their surplus goods at
low prices on foreign markets has
been slight as compared with what
might be manifested at a time of in
dustrial depression in the United
States"
Dealing with the proportion of Amer
lean goods which has been thrown Oh
the foreign markets, the report says:
This export trade could hardly
have been carried unless the foreign
ers were granted lower prices than
prevailed in the United States,
Must Be Returned to China.
Montreal, Sept. 17.-Justice Loran-