The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-09-03
DENIDCRA
II81 IC BUGABO0.
sTHE#PoLIcY IN some INSTANCES
Of SELLING CHEAPER THAN
THEMARKET PRICE PRE-
Walls THE WORLD
s# s4SS OVER.

dai1yH#%Congressional RECORD, April
I vii $confne myself to the question
IF goods sold abroad at a lower price
a at home.
adrnitted goods are some
times bus sold, butt must also en-
phassEize the#fact that the percentage OF
such8goodsSsoId as compared with u
totaIgsoufput is SO insignificant as TO
make theSWhoIe subject a mere busa-
gboo,#notsMorthy&of notice were It nor
fprSt1e fact that its constant re'tera-
tion#has dignifed it almost to the lever
REORGANIZATION issue. Whoever VIII
5#faka#nains to look into this question,
carefully the report OF
tha scent Industrial Commission,
into the matter fully, II
8Whose report o the subject IS eH-
ceedingly clear and ineligible, WIZ
that5this percentage OF goods sold
ss5st an Sexport discount is, in round ntl m
hers as%follows: Total annual value
HI is fifteen billions OF
dollars. me exports OF manufactures
are four hundred million. while the
value Of exports sold at lower prices
ETCau GE4Oil&I1iti -
To&this extent, then, we are willing
TO sconcede#that our manufacturers re-
sortstosthis practice Of cutt~ing'fore!Sn
for the reasons which nave
already mentioned. In volume tnlr-
fee of h report OF he 4nduStflai
Commission there are tabulated at
replies bearing upon this question.
The8report says:
The great majority of the answers
indicated that prices are no lower
abroad than they are for domestic con
and a considerable number in
dicate that foreign prices are higher
Amor those who stated that they
sell|a portion Of their goods abroad
lower than at home b following rea-
8 are given:
Cash payments and large purchases
in the foreign trade, whereas the do
nestle trade is based on credits and
small Gpurchases. e
Thezdrawback or rebate OF the tariff
on raw material OF goods
manufactured for export.
TO overcome The tariff OF other
ITO secure new markets:
To.hoId market against new COM
petitors
ToSclear out surplus stock or to pre-
vent a Il down and increased cost
OF production by keeping mills run
and men employed.
TO get rid Of samples and out-o-date
goods
Because the expense of selling and
advertising is less abroad than at
home.
as to the amount which is old
abroad at these lower prices, l have
already given it as four million ollar
nnuaI1 although the total sales re-
ported to the Industrial Commission
were only about one-third of this sum.
and the average difference in price,
it#may be added, was less than five
percent. Allowing h greatest mar
gin possible, then, We have a total
amounting to only n per cent. OF u
manufactured goods sold abroad, and
goods sold abroad amoun to less tina
three per cent. of our total output.
This great busaboo, then, consists of
less than4three one-hundredths of one
per cent. of our total manufactures,
admitting, as we are quite willing to
do, all that our opponents claim.
IN the face of these returns, which,
by the way, are not prize statistics,
but authoritative figures in every in
stance, shall we, of the fact
@ that three one~-hundredths Of one per
cent, or four million dolIars' worth, of
our manufactured goods are sold
abroad at a lower figure than at home,
tear down our tariff wall and submit
the other s14,ee6 ,ooo, 900 to the ruth
less competition of the hungry horde
of pauperpaid foreign competitors? 1t
is, Mr.. President, a most astounding
proposition to come from even the
Democratic press and the free trade
element of this country!
The policy in some instances of sell
ing cheaper than he market price is
a custom that prevails tho world over
in every line of industry and COM
merce known to the una race. 1t
is practiced by the fruit vender on our
sidewalks, who, at whatever price he
can get, disposes of his fast decaying
and almost unstable wares. 1t is
practiced by the merchant, when an