Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-05-28
TARIFF and TRUSTS TWO OUT OF Three
TRUST selling Cheaper ABROAD
THAN AT HOME.
Steel Trust Ships BiIletS Abroad That
Come Back in Manufactured Form.
Welsh Tin Manufacturers Buy
Steel Cheaper in this Country
Than They Can in Europe.

Those republican congressman who
are 80 anxious for proof of the eteel trust
selling cheaper abroad than here should
read :helr own party papers more thor
oughly. The government statistics show
that 30, 900 tons OF steel blllets were ex-
ported last month and the market expert
OF the New York Press saws: 1.-The major
portion of these bilets, however, are
shipped back here in manufactured
form. They are sold here for export at a
price around SlS al the mills, while the
existing quotatoa for bllets for domcs-
tic consumption is Y27."
But this writer, who certainly should
be good enough authority for the most
standpat republican, further says "Fullv
20 ,OJO tons of last months billet ship
ments were consigned to Welsh mills,
where they are to be rolled into plates
then dipped IN tin and reshipped here
for the purpose OF making cans. The
largest importer of these tin plates is the
Standard Oil company. which uses
about 100 900 tons annually. The Beei
Trust is also a very heavy buyer OF tin
plates made from the steel billets shipped
from this country to Wales. Although
practically all the raw material used in
the making OF these tin plates is oi
American origin, the tariff holds them
to be subject to duty OF IL cents per
pound, as the process of making them
into tin plate enhances the value The
Standard Oil company uses tin plates for
the export of case oil. with the result
that a drawback is given to it by the gov
ernment OF the full import duty less |
per cent" The Wel,hmen buy this
American steel because it Is sold for less
than British made steel and according
to the abuve republican authority for
about one-third less than the trust
charges our own people.
We have the evidence CT w. g. Raoul
who at the time he gave it. Feb. %,
1904, was president OF the National Rail
road company OF Mexico, quoted by
Senator Bacon OF Georgia, in bis speech
on tariff abuses, whi.h can be found in
the congressional record for April 25
1905, in which Mr.. RaouI said: "In
1902 l secured bids on steel rails for
Mexico from United States mills at about
$24 delivered at Tampico, while the
price paid at the same time for rails for
our road in Texas was $S8 at the mills" :"
81 the steel trust was Offering to pay
the land and water freight from the
mills at Pittsburg to Tampico, Mexico,
which could not have been less than $6 a
ton deducing that amount from the
price quoted OF 1924 delivered at Tampco
would bring the price at the mills to SIS
ton or $40 ton less than the price OF
the steel rails for use in this country.
During last April there was no less
than %, l4l tons OF steel rails sold by the
steel trust for export. SO there is no
doubt that the same underseling to
foreigners still continues. Many other
trusts are doing the same thing, for we
hear of farmers in Canada and other
countries buving American agricultural
machinery. fence wire and other Ameri-
can products for much less than our own
farmers are buying similar articles made
by the same Harvester Trust the steel
trust and other protected corporations.
1t is very difficult to get the price at
which the e products OF the trust are
sold for export 70, there is great secrecy
maintained of these transactions. for
obvious reasons. Still those doubling
republican congressman who cannot ex-
plain away the above given transactions
will have to admit that the democrats
have furnished enough proof to convict
the trusts OF selling cheaper abroad than
here, which the protective tariff allows
them to do with impunity.