Mexico weekly ledger., 1904-10-27
AMERICAN
CONSUMERS BILKED
Startling Difference Of Cost in FaVOf
Of Foreign Steel Rail Buyers.

OF the points made by Hon. John
Sharp Williams, in his powerful anti
trust speeches. none is so unanswer-
able as that which he emphasizes with
the undisputed fact that steel rails
manufactured in this country are. sold
cheaper to foreign than 10 American
consumers.
Here is the way Mr.. Williams treat
ed the subject In his Brooklyn speech
of October i:
Let me read you a letter from Mr..
Roaul. President of the National Rail.
road Company of Mexico, a road which
operates both in Mexico and in Texas:
"In 1902 | secured bids OH steel rails
for Mexico from united States mills at
about $24 delivered at Tampico. while
the price | paid at the same time fos
rails for our road in Texas was SOS al
the mills"
Remember that these rails were laid
down at Tampico, Mexico, for $24. and
that the freight to Tampico was 81, 50
that the price at the mills for the rails
shipped to Tampieo was $50, while, AZ
the writer states, the price at the mills
for that part of the order to be used
in Texas was S2S. rhe extortion in
this case was IS.
Let me read you part of another lett
ter. addressed to Senator Bacon. of
Georgia. and dated February %. 1904.
and written by Mr.. ]. u. Wright, an
Indiana Republican:
"The extension of our road. some for
ty miles, was decided upon and cash
provided for it early in the spring of
1901. Owing to the demand at that
time for steel in all forms and the
probability OF an advance In price. it
seemed wise to take up the matter OF
the purchase of the necessary rails at
once. Inquiries, therefore, were adj
dressed and mailed TO all the leading
steel rail manufacturers in the conn
Try. asking for tenders on sixty miles
Of seventy-pound steel rails delivered
at Savannah or Macon, the Joint Of de-
livery to be option;l with US.
"After endeavoriny in vain to obtain
better prices than those quoted. we
finally accepted the bid Of the - Steel
Company, and placed our order with
them for the 561S tons of rails at $50
per ton, based upon delivery at tide
water. This would enable us to ar.
range our own freight rate to Savan-
nah and effect some saving In the cost
Of the rails. The order was declined
on these terms, the - Steel Company
refusing to make any price (. o. b. mill,
but insisting upon delivered price.
II made one more effort. Some
friends of mine were interested in o
railroad project in Central America,
and l preached the subject TO the rep
r%esentative of the - Steel Company
who had come here to close the matter
with me. / told him that my friends
had made some inquiry of me as to the
cost of construction in that country,
and l should like to know at what price
he could sell me steel rails delivered
at tidewater for shipment to Honduras.
He promptly quoted me $50 per ton.
= y
ALLOWING a liberal amount for cost
of delivery at tidewater. which, in this
particular case would have been very
small, we American citizens paid to
this American industry $4,000 in ex-
cess of what foreigners would have
been compelled to pay. And S33,000
would have put up a very handsome Ii
brary filed with standard books on
protection.
"And this was a very small transac-
%tion-only fifty miles Of railrOadi Pay
ments were cash, and we neither need
ed nor asked any concessions in the
matter of time. Because we werc
Americans interested in the develops