The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-10-27
AMERICAN
CONSUMERS BILKED
Startling Difference Of Cost il Favor
Of Foreign Steel Rail Buyers

OF the pOints made by lion. John
Sharp Williams, in his powerful ana'
trust speeches. none is so unanSwGf-
able as that which he emphasizes with
the undisputcd fact that steel raiis
manufactured ia this country are sold
cheaper TO foreign than 10 American
consumers.
Here is the way Mr. Williams treat
ell the subject in his Brooklyn speech
of October j:
Let me read you letter from Mr.
Roaul President Of the National Rail-
road Company of Mexico. Il road when
operates both in Mexico and IN Iexas:
"In 1902 | secured bids on steel rails
| for Mexico from United States mills III
about S2i delivered at Tampico, While
the price paid at the same time Tor
rails for our road in Texas was SIS at
| the mills"
Remember that these rails were laid
down at Tamplco, Mexico, for 81, ana
that the freight TO Tampico was -, sol
| that the price ut the mills for tie rallsI
shipped TO TampiCo was SO. while, as
| the writer states. the price at the mills
for that part of the order to he used
/ in Texas was SIS. She extort,On in /
! this ease WAS s..
Let me read You part OF another let
! ter. addressed TO senator Bacon, or
Gcorgia. aud dated February -, 1901.
and written 10y Mr., j. 4. Wright, an
Indiana Republican,:
"Thc extension of our road, some for
ty miles, was decided upon aad casa
provided for il early in the spring OF
! 1891. 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 att
onrr. Inquiries. therefore, were adj
dressed amt matted 10 all the loading
steel rail manufacturers in the coull-
try, asking for tondcrS on StNty miles
of seventy pound steel rails delivered
at Savannah or Macon, the Joint Of de-
livery 10 be option with as.
"After cndcayorin: in vain "a obtain
better prices than those quU,cd, WEI
finally accepted the bid Of the --- Steel
Company, and placed our ur,rr With
them for the 5GlS tons nf rail, at S29
per ton, based upon delivery &C tide
water. This would enable H. To ar
range our own freight rate to Savan-
nah ana effect some saving IN ia" cost
of the rails. 1hc order was declined
'on these terms. the -- Stc'l company
refusing to make any price T. q. d. mill.
but insisting upon delivered price.
81 made one more effort, Some
friends of mine were Interested IN Il
railroad project in Central America.
and | broachcd the subject 10 I've rep
rcScntativc of the - Steel Company
who had come here TO close the mattcr
with me. told him that my friends
had made some inquiry OF m Is To the
cost of construction in that country,
and should like 70 know nj What price
he could sell me steel rails delivered
at tidewater for shipment 10 Honduras.
He promptly quoted me 50 Der ton.
ALLOWING n liberal amount for cost
of delivery at tidewatcr, which, in this
particular case would have been very
small, we American citizens paid TO
this American industry S35,O0l in eX-
cess of what foreigners would have
been compelled TO pay. And S!hWOt
would have put up a very handsome lie
brary filled with standard books on
protection.
"And this was 4 very small transact
tion-only fifty miles of railroad Pay-
ments were cash, and we neither need.
ed nor asked any concessions i'll the
matter of time. Because we were
Americans Interested in the develop
mcnt of small section Of our country.
involving faith aud sacrifices. we were
compelled TO pay ont. as bonus. in
excess of $500 per mile