THE BIOGRAPHY OF A YOUNG INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, 15 March 1889, Page 2

THE BIOGRAPHY OF A YOUNG INDUSTRY.

At a dinner in New York given by Henry George one of the guests, Colonel Down Platt, said: — "I am not a single tax man as I said, owing to my lack of intelligence, I suppose, but lam a Freetrader. I want £otell you howl came to be one practically — theoretically I have always been one. Short y after the war when I went back home, I ran. across a fe'iow who said he could take the second growth, of hickory on my place and convert it into beautiful axe handles. As he had leaarared his trade in the penitentiary I thought probably he is proficient in it. Under this persuasion I took, an o'.d sawmill and converted it into, a handle factory. He took that second growtb and. turned it into handles as smooth as ivory and as. . tougb as the conscience of a New York alderman. (Laughter). We made money hand! over mitten -until the day I discovered that Canadian axe-handles were coming in and under-selling us. I thought that wouldn't do, so I travelled to Washington on a dead heO>& pass, and sawSenator Wade, who called in Hoa ' Pig Iron ' Kelly. He' said, ' Her& is an infant industry tha*- ought to be protected and encouraged and. built up.' There is nothing meanabout * Pig Iron,' so he said ' Ce*tainly.' They slapped a duty on. axe-handles enough to shut out the* Canadian competitor, and I went; back home thoroughly satisfied.. I We raised the price of axe-handle*. (Applause and laughter.) Bit;, bless your souls., this premium upom infant industry set every sawmili in Ohio to turning out axe-handles until they were a glut in the market.. Eight in the midst of ail my troubles; my manufacturer and his two men — that was American labor I employed —(laughter), struck for higher wages. I told them I could not stand it, that there was a t mble shrinkage of value, market was glutted, and the best thing I could do would be to shut down. My foreman took me to one side and said " Boss, thiß thing's played out. " "I mow it is," said I. " I'll tell you what to do," said he ; get a good big insurance on your old rattletrap, and some, night I will stick a cbunk under it, and we'll divvy." (Laughter.) Kaysl: € ;My friend you have been in th.c penitentiary and you don't mind it" (laughter), I haven't been and I am prejudiced." (Laughter.) Thatnig'hthe stole my best horse and skipped. (Laughter.) And that was the end of my Protection I have been a practical Free Trader ever sincoi.-^ Evening Press.