The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-05
NO INDUSTRIAL DEPRESSION IN
ENGLAND.


at peace, and her total exports for trat
period were in the neighborhood
of 81. 500, 100000.
During the first eight months of
1916 Great Britain has been playing
her part, and a big one. in the most
gigantic war in her history, or the
history of the world. Many of her
factories are engaged in the manu-
facture of war munitions, and thou
sands of her workmen are on the
firing line, their places in mills and
workshops being taken by women.
Nevertheless, the total exports of
Great Britain during this eight
months period were valued at nearly
$4,000, 100000, which is not much evil
dence of industrial prostration there,
even if considerable is being heard
these Gays in this country that such
is the case.
British exports during the month of
August, 1915, increased about $75.-
900, 900 over 1915. the chief increase
being in manufactured articles, cot
ton textiles increasing $15,000,000.
and iron and steel manufactures
$12, 100000. Exports of cotton goods
to the United States for last August
totaled 1910. 900 yards. compared with
| 2,952,O0O yards in August, 1915;
woolens, 4e9,0O0 yards compared with
100000 y.rds the same month last
year.
England is fighting and fahricating
and making progress in both direc-
tions.
Our trade figures for the eight
months ended August, 1916. will not
be available for some weeks, but the
official figures for the SIX months
ended June. 1916, show that our total
imports from Great Britain for that
period amounted to s173, 100000. For
the six months ended June. 1918, and
when the Payne-Aldrich tariff law was
in operation, they totaled 1892, 900, 900.
In spite of the stress of the war
under which she is laboring, England
increased her hold on our market for
the six months period of 1915 just
80 per cent over the same period
in 1913.
For the first six months of the
calendar year, 1914. just before the
war began, and under the operation of
the Underwood tariff law, our i'm
ports from Great Britain totaled
| 1854, 600, 600. an increase of $4,000
900 over the 1913 period. but the
lower rates of duty carried by the
Democratic law resulted in less
revenue, despite the increase in i'm
!
up. of course. and it was reocuped by
the route of internal taxation.
England is not an exporter of raw
materials to any considerable extent
She exports manufactured products
and every dollars worth she disposes
of in the United States means the dis
placement of a dollars worth of do
nestle product and the cutting down
of the American laborer's opportunity
to make that product.
The wage-rate of England is about
one-half that paid to labor in the
United States. The wage-rate in Ger
many is even lower, or about one
third of our own.
Recently. at the Traces Union Con-
gress in Birmingham, England, rep
resentatives of 100000 British mil
workers, voted by over one million
majority for a resolution demanding
that Great Britain return to a pro-
tective tariff basis. and the resolution
they adopted was right along the line
of the arguments used by the Republi.
cans for a protective tariff here, an6
one that has often brought prosperity
to this country, and without the aid Of
European war to assist that pros
perity on its way
This resolution declares for 1.-THE
adoption of methods for restricting OF
preventing the importation of chea,
manufactured goods produce at Iowel
rates of wages and under worse la5ol
conditions than prevail in lis eng
} land) country"
5 The British Board of Trade. as lon,
5 ago as the first of this year. also de
clared for return to the protectiy,
policy.
5 Were the British mill 7orkers an,
} the British Board of Trade strikin,
at the United States with these de
r mands, at this country where tn
wage-rate is higher, and abor con
1 ditions better than those of England
I Certainly not.
They are afraid of German com
=, petition, which, before the war, wa
= undermining British foreign trade
D and even breaking into the domesti
markets of John Bull
If Germany must buck against
high tariff. or reasonably protectiv
= tariff in England and France. an
e Russia. and the United States is oper
a ating under the near-free-trade tart