Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-10-10
THE TARIFF AND MEAT.

We hear a great deal about the tariff and
the wages of the American working man, it
being set forth by the standpatters that with
out protection labor will suffer, that industries
will be forced to shut down, soup houses will
be popular, and so on. But the New York
Evening Sun, which has not been any too
friendly to the candidacy Of Governor Wilson,
gives a striking illustration of just what the
tariff means in connection with at least one
protected industry.
After calling attention to the fact that our
own meat packers are extensively established
in South American and Australian markets
and that they ship thence to Europe enormous
quantities of beef and mutton of an excellent
quality, the Evening Sun quotes from tfs'
statement of United States Consul Cooling,
. rs heiiaa" Ia Il the fnteviiddeo, Uruguay, as follows:
November.S nigh prices dem anded in the United
States for meat, as published in the cable
news, are attracting much attention, and as
these prices are so much above the cost Of
meat in Uruguay, the following list has been
prepared: Beef-Brains, 8 cents each; breast,
61a cents a pound; hip, 61@ cents a pound; kid
iV.c - Civ '"O' '''hj '/S 'N'"' " lNtthN
ribs, 8 cents a pound; roast, 49, cents a pound
rump, 7 cents a pound; shoulder, 1112 cents a
pound; soup bone, 3 cents a pound; steak, 9
cents a pound; stomach, 5 cents a pound;
thigh, Z cents a pound.
"With a freight charge of ~ cents a
pound added, Uruguay meats can be landed
in New York so as to sell for a fraction of the
prices now being paid there"
Commenting further, the Evening Sun
points out that our own packers are landing
these supplies in London and selling at a rea-
sonable advance and price. Why not here?
The Evening Sun finds the answer in the y
per cent. tariff on meat and ~ per cent. on
live stock. This is not imposed for the pur-
pose Of revenue, because it creates no revenue
as no meat is brought here under such pro-
hibitive rates. When the people of the United
States, where there is a big meat supply with
in our own borders, are forced to pay far more
for mat than the people of England, where all
the meat has to be imported, it is plain that
something is radically wrong. The aggravat-
ing feature is that the beef trust controls both
markets, but is charging more here because
outside meat is prohibited by the tariff.
If there is a scarcity of cattle in the West,
why not throw open our doors to South
American and Australian meats? How long
must the American workingman go without
meat on his table? Wherein does the pro-
tective tariff IN this instance benefit hlmf
We have heard enough about soup houses and
the like, but it does not scare any more. The
people are beginning to think for themselves.
A ''free meat bill' was passed in the last
Congress, but President Taft vetoed it. Put
Governor Wilson in the White House and elect
a Democratic Congress to back him and a free
meat bill viii go through with bells on, and
so will other bills removing the barrier that
is today preventing this country from enjoy
ing that healthy competition that is making
living so much cheaper abroad. By destroy
ing the monopoly of the trusts here, it will
not close the mills. The markets will be open
.s before-only the trusts win be forced to sell