The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1914-12-17
DOES THE TARIFF
Law HELP Canada?
DEMOCRATIC READER WANTS
THE TRUTH TOLD ABOUT THE
WORKINGS OF NEW MEASURE.
Editor Independent:

EdltOf Independent:
In your issue of the 18th inst, a
news item from Langdon, N. D., bore
the headlines New Tariff Law Helps
Canada" And in the item was state
ment that potatoes are worth 40
cents per bushel and that 20 per cent
duty was charged when shipped into
Canada, making the value Of the po-
tatoes 60 cents per bushel to the peo-
pie of Canada" And the further
statement: while the tariff law per-
mits the importation of Canadian po-
toes to this country free of duty"
The writer of that news item made
a very grave mistake, in his statement
of "per cent" or else in calculation, for
20 per cent of 40 cents is only 8 cents
to he added. -
7 Another error. Section 581 of the
tariff law of Oct. 8, 1918, provides
that 10 per cent advalorem duty on
potatoes shall be charged against
countries which charge us duty.
Taking the duty as "2O cents per
bushel" instead of "2O per cent" max
ing the potatoes cost 60 cents per
bushel when they crossed the Canadian
line, I fail to see where that "helps
Canada" Of course both a. freight
and profit are to be added to the 60
cents, which l understand from pri-
tvate sources makes the price in that
country near the dollar mark.
I can see how the Canadian mer-
chant may shift the tariff duty be-
cause merchants control their selling
prices, but fail to see how Canad.
ian farmer or laborer is "helped" by
the higher price when they are not
able to advance the selling prices OF
their products and labor so as to make
| a corresponding advance in the price
or percent. 3,sE5
Just turn the deal around, making
Ius the destitute, importing the pota
toes and paying the high prices anG
i the same discrimination is shown.
just recall the conditions of 1911
when farmers were paying the full
per cent of duty on what they bought
lyet receiving less than half the dut,
Iallowed by law on grain. The dut!
then was Is cents per bushel on whea
yet the highest duty paid to the farm
ers was II cents and that difference il
price disappeared entirely on July II
1912, and that without q change in TIL
law. To the question, Does the tarif
on q product cause the price Of tina
article to advance? l answer, yes
unless supply exceeds the demand, o
lsome obstacle interferes with tn
market as the European war is doinl
now. If we are to stop at this ques
ton and answer, of course all shout,
lbe for q high tariff. But an investi
cation and the actual practice show
that the per cent collected by say tn
manufacturers, over and above tn
cost Of production is far greater thai
the per cent paid to farmers and la
borers, (those who do not control thei
selling prices), for their products an
labor, over and above cost. Except TO
this difference the manufacturer
themselves would not favor tarit
duty. It is human nature, the prompt
ings Of desire to gain, for those VIII
control their selling prices, to plac
the prices just as high as allowed t
and protected to by law, and suppl,
and demand. While it is just as nat
ural for those who control their buy
ing prices as grain buyers, to pay jus
as little as possible to obtain the pro
ducts. Every farmer demonstrate
the first statement every time he sell
q horse, and the second fact ever
time he sends to catalog house fo
an article.
In 1910 and IL the selling price Q
wheat was less than half the cost .
producing wheat, still the farmer
lhad no other recourse than to sell thei