The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-05-08
PRESERVE HOME MARKET FOR
HOME PRODUCTS.

The folly of free trade as national
policy was clearly exposed by Hon.
Joseph Fordney, representative from
Michigan, who has been elected chair
man of the ways and means commit
tee of the house, in an address before
the Michigan society in Now York the
other day. This brief paragraph from
his speech sums up the republican
position on the tariff so plainly that
all may understand:
Our annual sales abroad, during
normal times are less than 10 per
cent of our total production.
Therefore to throw down the bars
and invite in the products of the
cheap labor of the world, while
we chase rainbows around the
globe to find a dumping ground
for small percentage of our out
put and at the same time neglect
our best market, is, in my opinion,
poor business judgment. We want
foreign market for our surplus,
but we do not want 1t at the cost
of the loss of our home market.
It Is not necessary to deal with alb
stract conditions to apply Mr. Ford
ney's argument. for we have concrete
illustration right here In the Couer
d'Alene district. Some of our great
lead and zinc mines are closed down
and those still in operation have been
forced to curtail their output and may
any day be forced to suspend alto
gether Why? Because there is not
sufficient demand to absorb the lead
and zinc now on the market and to
continue normal production would re-
suit in adding to the surplus and a
further weakening of the already weak
market.
While American operators are re-
6ucing production and American
miners are having wages reduced and
are being thrown out of employment
altogether what is going on to the
south Of us through the operation of
the present free trade tariff law? Dur
ing the month of January, the last
month for which figures are available
639,S17 pounds of lead in ore came
across the line from Mexico and g.,
67S,S91 pounds of lead bullion. Dur
ing the same month 1,034,319 pounds
of zine In ore came across the line
from Mexico. Importations from Can
ada during the month We're 1858
pounds of lead and S94,752 of zinc,
both in ore to be smelted and market
ed in this country.
Now if there is any business sense in
such tariff system, we would like
some of our democratic friends to
point 1t out With the best market in
the world for our own products, and
stead market and high wages, the
present free trade law is deliberate
invitation for the importation of the
products of cheap labor to compete
With the we'll paid American labor.
Speaking for the mining industry,
there can be but one result and that
= a choice between forcing the wages
Of the American miner down to the
foreign level or depriving him of en-
ployment altogether through a forced
suspension of mining operations. The |
after must be the ultimate result I'M
Ter the present tariff system. Ameri- |
AN lead and zinc mines have sus-
pended and curtailed in order to main
ain even the present low prices while |
he surplus is being worked off. In
he meantime imports from Mexico |
continue and instead of surplus stocks
# metal being reduced, the last few
weeks have shown an actual increase.
Ne are now informed by those in posi-
ion to know that further curtailment
f lead and zinc production is neces
airy, which means that American
PRODUCERS must curtail while the for
igner continues to profit at their ex-
ense.
'lNCHOT CONTINUES TO BE A