Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-11-02
OvERCHARGE 70 AMERICANS
COMMERCIAL AGENT TELLS OF
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
HOME PURCHASERS
American Products Are Sold
Abroad Much Below Prices
Charged to American
Consumer.

SetSub1tCt
Easily the greatest evil of the Re-
publican fiscal policy is the discrimi-
nation against American manufac
turers in the purchase of protected
raw materials. 1t will be remember
ed that few months ago the Pana-
ma canal commissioners asked for
bids for two floating dry-docks for
use in the construction of the canal
There was considerable competition
in the bidding and among the compel
itors was a ship-building firm OF
bids it was discovered that the for
| eign firm was something like S36O,OOO
| below the lowest American bidder,
while both bidders stipulated that the
steel would be purchased from the
| same American manufacturer. Sec
retary of War Taft communicated the
| facts to Congress and inquiry devel-
oped the fact that the American bid
| der would be obliged to pay precise
" the difference in the bid more for
| the steel than it could be purchased
! from the same American firm by the
! foreign bidder. Thereupon Congress,
with the view, probably, of preserV-
| ing the sacred tariff, directed the
! Commissioners to award the contract
| TO the American bidder at the greater
| cost
American manufacturers Of machin-
! cry, cutlery and other high-class
! steel and iron products have been de-
! feated in bids for foreign work re-
| peatedly for the same reason. Their
English, Scotch and German competi-
/ tors being able to buy the steel
needed for the work from American
/ manupfacturers at from $40 to Sl2
ton less than it would be sold to an
American competitor could underb&
! for the work and invariably get 1t
| with the result that American manu-
| facturers have frequently failed OF
| valuable contracts for the reason OF
the discrimination against them in
/ the purchase of raw materials. The
! evil effects have not been felt to the
| full measure as yet for the reason
| that under the impulse of abundant
crops domestic shops have found the
home market ample for their capaci.
tv. But in the event of a crop fail
ure or other incident which would i'm
pair the prosperity of the farmer, an
industrial slump would be the inevI-
table result.
But the farmers have not escaped
from the aail consequences of this
discrimination. In their purchases
they have been heavily taxed by this
iniquitous policy as the correspond
ence in the State Department shows.
For example American plows are
sold in Canada at a vastly lower price
than in this country and the same is
true of mowers, binders, rales and
other implements. Even in sewing
machines which have become a ne
cessity in every agricultural house
hold there is an enormous difference
in favor Of the foreign purchaser. In
a recent discussion of the subject in
Congress Representative Savers said:
Mr.. Chairman:
In connection with the price of
farming implements exported from
the United States and sold in for
eign countries, as compared with the |
price of the same implements as sold |
to the farmers in the United States, |
| desire to ask the clerk to read a
letter from Mr. Washington. our COM
mercial clerk in London, Canada, dat |
ed Sept. 1883. The clerk read as fol- I
lows,
United States Consular Agency |
London. Ontario, Sept 15,1SSS. ire
ceived September 1S)
Sir:
In reply to the circular letter of the
Department of State dated Sept. 4,
1888, requesting information as to the
imports of agricultural machinery
and tools from the United States in
to Canada, inquiry elected the fol-
lowing facts: | find that plows of
American manufacture are among
the most prominent of the imports in
this line. The Oliver chilled plow
(made at South Bend, Ind, and the
one | am told, that has the largest
sale in the United States, The Syra-
cuse plow and the South Bead plow