The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-16
CHEAP AND DEAR LABOR,

Hon William G. Redfield, Repre-
sentative in Congress from the Fifti
District of New York, is outspoker
against the need of any tariff on Ger
tain manufactures, especially of iron
and structural steel material, in this
country. He is himself a manufacturer
and speaks from a practical bushes:
knowledge on this point. He has been
talking some in Congress, and is list
ened to with the respect which intelli'
gent men naturally yield to those able to
give facts within their own experience
pertinent to issues that are presented
for action. Mr.. Redfield's $ facts have
played havoc with a number of ideas
of mere theorists in Congress, and he
promises to be one OF the most valuable
members of the House. He has shown
heretofore that the manufacturers of
the United States can compete with
the world in manufactures of iron and
steel. In the course of recent speech,
Mr.. Redfield exalted the efficiency
of American labor as compared with
cheap labor abroad, and illustrated it
by statements within his own knowl-
edge as follows;
How does It happen that in a quotation
recently made for machinery TO mine In
Japan the American price was S125 less
than the English price? How does II hap
pen that those American locomotives are
running upon the japanese railways, upon
those OF Formosa, upon those OF Man
ffNn ri.
can engines are sold In Hong KongP How
does IT happen that l sent one day before
yesterday to Rangoon2 These are sold in
open competition with the makers In
Great Britain. happen 10 know what
those locomotives cost. relative to those
mado by German and English manu-
faoturers, and happen also TO know this,
which is one OF several stories which will
illustrate this particular contention,
namely, that last January was in the
city OF Toxic, and friend who was with
me took large contract. by the way,
from the Japanese Imperial State Rail
ways. in open competition with Germany
and England for several million dollars
worth OF locomotives.
That gentleman went to the head Of the
locomotive shops OF the Imperial Rail
ways. and the Japanese master mechanic
said to him: 1--WE can make locomotives
much cheaper than you can In America
can produce them for less than you can"
Can your inquired my friend. ''If so:
let us get at the facts. II you will tell
me from your cost sheets precisely what
your locomotives cost / will tell you what
ours cost. And, by the way" he said,
what makes you think that your locomo-
tiyes cost less than ours?" Why" he
said. because we only pay one-ilfth the
wages to our men that you pay to yours"
So they got out the cost books, and
they found that the fact was that the
labor cost for locomotives on the same
specifications was three and one-half
times greater in the Japanese shop than
In the American shops. And that is n
perfectly normal fact, and not an abnor-
NAL one.
These Illustrations by Mr.. Redfield
establish completely the contentious
heretofore made by Tho Tribune, that
since the United States can 90 into
all parts Of the world and compete
successfully in steel manufactures as
against all competitors, the idea OF
treating our steel industry as q help
less infant is exasperatingly absurd.
Mr., Redfield shows not only that Amer
leans can compete all over the world
against German and English manufao-
tureFa, but no shows that wo ean COM
pete successfully on an economic basis