The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-29
"Pushful Joe's" Scheme.

Andrew Carnegie last week sought, thru
the London press, to convince Engl1shmen
leaning toward the Chamberlain preferen-
tial duty scheme, that they were foollns
with the impracticable.
Sir Robert Giffen agrees with Carnegie
and In his Ninteenth Century article he
argues that, with a 5-shlling quarter
preferential tax on wheat, consumers IN
the United Kingdom would be purdeheo
with a tax on foreign wheat or over $780,
100000 plus the further sum OF ABOUT
ST, 600. 900, by which the price OF colonial
wheat would be raised in the English mar
ket and a further tax Of $4,000, 1000 as the
enhanced price Of wheat produced oy Eng
lish farmers making total charge on
consumers of $41, 900 for the purpose OF
giving colonial wheat growers the a1ore-
mentioned bonus of $7,00O,O0O, the en-"
HANGED price of their wheat In England. II
an ad yalorem rate Of 10 per cent IS
charged on imports from foreign countries,
as advocated by the Fair Traders con-
suners would be burdened with charge
of s1o5, 900 900, besides the higher price to
home producers, in order to give the COL
onies a bonus of $2O,o0O,0Oo.
Sir Robert Giffen when under secretary
of the British Board Of Trade, was re-
garded as one of the most astute experts
in economics in the United Kingdom. He
does not see where the gain comes In to
the mother country, while the gain to the
colonies, thru such big sacrifice by the
former, will be pitifully small. He de-
ture' Certainly, Sir Robert Giffen pre-
sents on paper rather formidable argu-
ment against the preferential duty scheme
and the 10 per cent ad valorem duty on
foreign imports.
The English cotton spinning interest is
also getting the cold shivers over the
prospect of a diminished supply of cot
ton, growing out of the vastly Increased
consumption Of the raw material in the
United States during the last few years
incidental to the heavy investment in cot
ton mills. The English cotton spinners
are talking Of investing millions Of
pounds in cotton-growing in India, Egypt
West Africa and in the West Indies, to Sc
cure independent supplies of the raw ma
They talked this way when the raw cottol
supply was so short during the civil war
They will have to take a more seriou!
interest in the subject now, for, In the III
ture, we will manufacture more and NOR
of our raw cotton at home. 54:.s2
So far as the Csiffen figures are con
cerned, such as he gives would not scar
Americans worth a cent They are use
to much heavier tariff taxation than tina
proposed; but they have lived under condl
tions which make such burdens endurable
They have abundant supplies OF home
produced food and the country is self
contained. 1t is not dependent for tn
essential food upon outsiders. England
largely dependent and yet she can rails
more essential food than she does, b
adding to her 100000 acres OF arab
land many millions more from the gres
estates, which embody large areas
waste land and forests and animal pre-
serves. which can be turned into foot
producing areas. AS to. the problel
''Pushful joe is trying to solve, he ca
do it, if any man in England can; but
has not yet announced a carefully devise
plan The scheme can be accomplishe
provided the people Of the United Kins
dom are willing to stand some stiff taxa
ton for the benefit of Imperial interests