Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-04
Editors Letter Box
How Tariff Affects Maine industries.

How Tariff Affects Maine industries.
Editor Eeanstec Journal.
IN hcking over some back numbers
0. tie X J., noticed an item il re-
lation 10 the shutting down of one Of
The Skowhegan pulp mills for lack Of
orders for it's product This recalls 10
mind the warnings made il Congress
by Guernsey and Kinds during the de-
hate On TIE last tann bill They de-
clsre3 that II the bill passed il would
result in driving some q or Maine
industries out Of existence, as i
scented 20 be particularly aimed al
them
The paper and pulp industry is q
vast importance 10 Maine. she being
secoad only 20 New York According
70 the --latest ayails bic statistics, Maine
IN ltte produced over sgs.G'N tons %
zip. o. one-fourIh OF The entire amount
manufactured n the United States
that year To produce this the pall,
mills consumed sts s. CORDS Of wood,
for which was paid 10 farmers and
lumbermea s..z7I 80 The average cost
per cord was 3si5, while the average
COS, N all the states was but ss-s2.
TIE output IL the Maine mills was
So. go @rJ: capital invested. SIS. ls3 .es,;
, number Of employees, si+s: wages
paid. ss-2s. LEa
This does no1 include the men en-
ployed II cutting and hauling the wood
20 tie mills. nor amount Of paper and
pulp 10 the ~.alue OF s45,7N .y9a. an
amount equal TO more than one and
cne-rhird the entire product Of al the
mills II this State Is il any wonder
the Saowhesan Mill is obliged TO shut
Z down and the other mills have 10 limit
their prcdUci!on+ Do We get our books
and papers. etc. any cheaper: Not
by any means. The foreign manu-
facturer will sell 70 the American i'm
porter al five Per cent under the do
uiestic price. and he will OF course
work the stuff Of IN competition with
our home products. The foreign man
ufactUrer and importer get the entire
benefit: the government, has the reve-
nue.: American iaborers lose the wares,
and the consumer is not benefited one
cent.
This same system working against
all our industries is the controlling
reason why il was estimated that one
out of every five of cur laborers were
cut Of employment last winter. This
would mean a loss in wages Of at least
$500 30 90 in one year. With this vast
sum Withdrawn from circulation is it
any wonder that all classes Of our citi-
zens feel the effect Of the hard times?
The Democratic party was warned
that they were aiming q severe blow
a, Maine industries. and a late gov
eminent report stated that the stag
nation Of business was more severely
felt in Maine than in most any other
state
To show that removing the duty on
an article does not lower the price TO
the consumer, note the course OF sugar
for the past three years. Notwith-
standing the duty has been lowered
Is per cent, causing loss in revenue
OF sls.9o,ooo year, and notwithstand-
ing we imported nearly 200 0oa 900
pounds more during the year ending
June 20. 1915. than in 1913. we are pay
ing over 20 per cent more for sugar
per pound than We did in 1918, which
means loss TO our people in revenue
and increased price Of about so, 0oo, 90
The Treasury report for June. 1915,
shows that en- account of the last tar
II bill there was a loss in revenue
from 1913 Of s16s, 600 .0o0. which had to
be made up by direct taxes taken from
tie pockets of our own citizens in
stead OF being paid by the foreign
manufacturers, without any decrease
in the prices paid for the goods by our
own people
To anyone familiar with economic
conditions it was very evident tina.
such would be the case when the In
derwood tariff bill was under discus
sion, should it become law The war.
ny creating a demand for certain
products which we would not have sold
under ordinary conditions. has pre-
vented the situation from being as
acute az it otherwise would have been.
+ Let US be thankful that the Demo-
cratic party Is a one-term party, and
that the nation under 20 years OF con-
tinuous Republican rule had become
20 exceedingly prosperous that it will
take more than four years Of Demo-
cratic blunders and incompetence to
cause our people to lose faith and
courage
In fact. the people never intended to
place the Democratic party in power.
For out 81 a total vote Of 1891 ,lss
Wilson received but s,zes.214, while
there were s.754.ss5 votes against him.
LINUS ne slipped in with the largest
majority vote against him Of any man
tnat ever became President
G. z. SMITH.
Thorndike