Gilpin observer., 1904-10-20
SALES ABROAD AT FIsURES BE-
Low HOME PRICES.

statistics to prove that but an insigniia
cant proportion of manufactured good
sold abroad are sold at reduted prices!
They quote the speech of Secretar
Shaw in Chicago during the session o.
the Republican National Convention
In which he said:
"Our opponents lay much stress upoi
the fact that some American manufao
lures are sold abroad cheaper than
home. Our friends sometimes den:
this, and they sometimes apologize TO
1t, and few. in times past, have JOINED
our opponents in recommending a re.
moval of the tariff from all such ar
ticles. 1t is useless to deny, and, IL
my judgment, unwise to apologize ant
little short Of foolishness to attempt to
remedy the assumed evil In the man.
ner proposed by the opposition.
"A non-partisan commission ap.
pointed by Congress to investigate thd|
subject with authority to compel thd
Ilattendance Of witnesses, made q careI
full and detailed report. Basing hi |
computations upon the facts set forth
in the report, Senator Gallinger, ot
New Hampshire. in q speech made Id
the United States Senate on April 23|
last, placed the value of exports sold
at lower price abroad than at homi
at 100000. I cannot ind that th
substantial correctness of this estimat\
was ever questioned by the opposition|
But in any event the amount is sd
small as compared with the aggregate
output of our factories as to be uni
worthy of consideration"
Secretary Shaw is either a novic(
with figures or he is entirely Willing
to fool the voters with big statistic1
which he knows are not true. 1t ID
hardly possible that our Secretary ol
the Treasury does not know that w
do not produce $4,000. 100000 worth
Of manufactured goods in year ready
for final consumers, or anything lik >
this amount. Our Census statistics o(
manufactures contain many duplicaj
tions. Thus we have manufactures of
and steel. and of foundry products
machinery. ETC.; Of lumber and o(
furniture; of leather and of boots anS
shoes. In these few industries th1
Implications amount to 100000. .OO0
or $4,000. 100000. Were 1t possible Z
take out the duplications-that is, thj
products of one mill that are sold q
raw materials to another mill-it
probable that the total value Of fnishe
manufactured products would not
more than half Of $4,000. 900. .05l
Whether or not our census figures havd
been stuffed in order to make a great
showing for protection can only b@
surmised.
The statement that only $4,000 900
worth Of our manufactured goods are
sold abroad cheaper than they are sol
at home is ridiculous. Secretary Shat
says that he got his statistics from thu
report of the Industrial Commissionl
but he neglected to cite the page on
volume. As matter Of fact no SUCH
statistics appear in any Of the ninetesnI
volumes. Neither are there any state1
ments from which he could reasonably
draw such q conclusion.
Secretary Shaw well knows. as does
every one Of the Commission, that the
pretended investigation which that
partisan body made of export prices
was a farce and that 1t is absurd to
attempt to draw conclusions as does
Secretary Shaw, from data obtained in
answer to the scattering letter of in
quiry sent out by the Commission.
In the first place schedules Of in-
quiry were sent out to only 1000 OF
the 100000 manufacturing establish
ments of this country-that is. only ono
of every 300. In the next place only
416 replies were received. or courscy
the answers were mainly from those
who were not guilty. The guilty ones
did not volunteer information which
would incriminate them before the
American public. Moreover. they
doubtless understood the makeup Of
the commission and knew that 1t dij
not want evidence of the great extent
Of this business. Hence. nearly all Of
the guilty manufacturers either re1
Trained from answering at all or put
in ridiculous and absurd answers, such
as they supposed would please ma
jority Of the members Of the commits
sion. Under the circumstances 1t is
remarkable that even rs manufacturers
admitted that they were discriminat-
Ing In favor Of foreign customers. At
this rate more than 100000 of our
manufacturers are favoring foreigners.
1t could with far better logic and
reason. be concluded from these In