The Delta independent., 1908-07-10
TO KEEP MEN AT WORK
Selling Cheaper to Foreigners
Explained.
SIMPLE BUSINESS MATTER.
Manufacturers Are Thereby Enabled to
Unload Surplus Stocks and Keep
Factories Runnins-Practice Com
mon to All Countries.

There was an interesting little debate
in the United States senate recently,
called forth by the attempt of Mr.. Cul-
berson of Texas to secure an amend
ment to paragraph in the legislative
appropriation bill providing for the ex-
penses Of special agents to investigate
trade conditions abroad. Mr.. Culber-
son proposed to include in the inquiry
information showing the wholesale
and retail prices at which American
goods are sold abroad" We make the
following extracts:
Mr. Gallinger-Mr President, l do
not know that l shall object to that
amendment, but l am somewhat sur
prised to hear the senator from Texas
say that it has been denied that Amer
lean goods are sold abroad in some
cases cheaper than they are sold at
home. Why. Mr.. President, the great
Amoskeag Manufacturing company of
my state may have had very large
supply of goods on hand when this
financial pinch came and there was no
domestic demand for them. Does the
senator from Texas think that 1t would
have been anything out of propriety for
the Amoskeag corporation to have sold
those goods abroad somewhat cheaper
than the domestic price. If II had an op-
portunity to do so, so as to keep their
employees at work? OF course they
do it,
Mr.. Culberson-Mr President. | stat
ed. what | believed to be a fact. that
in some instances the statement had
been denied that goods manufactured
I'm the United States had been sold
abroad cheaper than in this country.
In reply to the suggestion Of the sen
ator from New Hampshire (NIr. Gal
lingerl l give II as my opinion that
even In the contingency which he men
tions it is unjust to the American peO-
pie for manufacturers In this country
to sell goods cheaper to foreigners
than to citizens of the United States.
Mr. Gallinger-Then does the senator
think the Amoskeag corporation ought
to have held that old stock of goods,
discharged their 1900 employees and
turned them out to the cold mercies of
the world?
Mr. Culberson-The senator from
Texas thinks that at least the corpora
tion to which the senator from New
Hampshire refers ought to have sold
to the American people as cheap.y as
they did to foreigners.
Mr. Gallinger-They had no demand
for their goods in the American mar
ket.
Mr.. Extraordinarily they would
have had call. Mr.. President. II the
price here had not been so high.
Mr.. Gallinger-They could not sell
them at any price. Now, Mr.. President,
there is not a nation In the world that
does not do this very thing. | had oc-
casion only a few weeks ago to write
to the city of Toronto to make an In
quiry concerning a manufactured arti-
Gle in that city. They sent me the do
mestic price and the export price, and
the export price was 20 per cent less
than the domestic price. | have con-
elusive information that every nation
does that very thing when they find 1t
necessary to unload goods rather than
to embarrass the manufacturing con-
Germs. and | think they go far beyond
that. | do not know what the diff
Guilty was in Toronto. but ] know that
they gave me 20 per cent export dis
count as compared with the domestic
price. So | think there is no controver-
sy on that point, and for that reason
| think we might as well adopt the
amendment 1t certainly cannot do
any harm. But | want to be under
stood as being one Of those who are
ready to admit that this is done, but 1t
is done to very Insignificant extent
tIn ,,.fn Ia, IN I fptr
ume II of the report OF the Industrial
commission and look at 1t he Will find
that they made very exhaustive In
vestigation. and they found that but
very inconsequential proportion of
the goods manufactured in this coun-
try was sold abroad at n less price
than the domestic price. 1t was so
small that 1t was hardly worth consid
ering, but 1t is done beyond a doubt
Mr.. Scott was going to suggest to
the senator from Texas that If n circu-
lar letter were sent out to the manu-
facturers of this country making In
quiry as to whether they sold goods
under certain circumstances TO foreign
countries cheaper than at home I think
the universal answer would be that
they do l do not think any of them
will deny 1t. 1t is good business. In
my own business I will say that in
order to keep the factory running 1t oc-
casIonally becomes necessary to what
we call UNLOAD certain goods" and
believe that there is scarcely n manu-
facturer in this country who will deny
the charge that he does sell goods
cheaper In foreign countries or In GER
tain localities than he does In the Unit
ed States when he is overstocked in or
der to keep the factories running and
the employees Mt work, 30 that they