The Elbert County tribune., 1912-10-25
-
UNMASKING THE
TARIFF DELUSI0N
Franklin Pierce Shows That Ia
bor Is Not Benefited by
Unjust Tax.
MANUFACTURER KEEPS PROFIT
Proof Of Democratic Platforms sound
ness Cited In Reports Of Wage In
vestisatIons.
BY FRANKLIN PIERCE.

roi nunureu years OF our history
the manufacturers. believing that they
received benefit from the protective
tariffs, have ingeniously devised plaus-
ipie pretexts for imposing increased
prices upon the necessaries OF life AZ
nrst they said that industry in our
country was in its infancy and needed
protection. When those industries had
become strong and needed NO aid the
manufacturers invented the theory
that the foreigner paid the duty. This
Sheory was exploded. and they declar-
q. that cheap clothing meant cheap
und was not blessing.
!, oen from every one of these inde-
ss1sloie positions. their final and only
nsrcment left today is that the tariff
b Imposed upon foreign Imports to en-
able the manufacturer to increase his
profits and pay higher wages.
The Democratic platform declares
that:
In the most highly protected indus
tries. such as cotton and wool, steel
and iron, the wages OF the laborers are
the lowest paid In any OF our indus
tries"
Proof of this statement is found in
reports OF many recent Official investi-
cations OF wages In the United States.
Wages In Cotton Industry.
Under the existing Payne-Aldrich
tariff law actual imports OF cotton
cloth paid In 1910 average duties of
66.4 per cent.
In 1905, when work and wage condi-
tions In the cotton industry were ex-
ceptionally good the wages of 202,211
cotton mill operatives In the United
Statesmen, women and children-av-
eraged only $6.47 week. The average
wage for men was but $7.71 q week,
for women $3.50 and for children. 1921.
AS to the profits. seventeen leading
cotton mills, with total capitalization
OF s25.110,000 and total surplus OF $21.-
S63,5O1. paid In nine years dividends
averaging 22 per cent.
The cotton manufacturers turned out
In 1905 $442,451.218 worth of goods and
paid in wages therefore $s4, ,337, ,695, or
Il per cent. of the value of the finished
product.
Extortlon Of Wool Tariff.
Outside of the duties on two or three
commodities of comparatively little i'm
portance, the duties on wooden cloth
are the highest OF any in the tariff
schedules. According to Senator Reed
Smoot. owner OF wooden mill at
Provost. Utah, and chairman of the
finance committee in charge OF tariff
legislation in the senate, wearing ap-
parel valued at 80 cents a pound now
pays 206 2-3 per cent duty.
This and other correspondingly high
duties on the manufactures Of wool
are made to enable the manufacturer
to pay his labor an increased wage
over those of foreign countries. But
the duty on woolen goods is nearly five
times the entire labor cost, while the.
American manufacturers In 1905 paid
in wages only IS per cent of the total
value OF their production.
At Lawrence in this most highly pro
tected industry the laborers were
obliged to strike even for a living
wage. Thousands of adult males were
receiving only from Sc to 80 = week
and many only S. to So a week. Az
result Of the strike the American
Woolen company gave its employees
slight increases in wages.
The wool tariff bill vetoed by Presi-
dent Taft reduced the duties on raw
wool from 1920 to 30 per cent. and on
manufactures OF wool from S7.e5 to
1896 per cent Mr.. Taft said he We
toed 1T because the proposed rates did
not comply with the findings Of the
tariff board. Senator La Toilette con-
tradicted the president. saying that
the proposed rates varied from 1 per
cent. lower to 11.6 higher than the
tariff boards findings justified.
Low Wages In Steel.
Manufacturers OF iron and steel In
1905 paid in wages only IL per cent
of the total value of their production,
while the duty then would average
about 45 to Al per cent, and on all
metals 1t now averages 34.61 per cent.
American wages are really the
cheapest wages In tho world when you
take Into account the amount Of pro-
duction per man.
An illustration OF this appears in
the Stanley report. investigating the
steel trust, as follows:
THE labor cost OF producing pig
iron In Pennsylvania fell from 31.26 q
ton In 1902 to SO cents a ton In 1909,
yet the realized value of the pig iron
output was s15.64 in 1902, whereas II
was s17.44 in 1909. In other words.
wageworkers in 1902 got $1.25 for pro
ducing only $15.64 worth OF pig iron
and in 1909 only SO cents for produc-
Ing s1744 worth.
While thus treating labor the indus.
trial combinations that have grown up
under the protection OF the tariff have
fxed the prices of commodities at the
highest point the home market would
stand. For twelve years they have
been unjustly transferring through the
protection tariff billions of dollars from