The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-07-12
WASHINGTON, February IS, 1913.
Hon. WALTER FORWARD,
July 10 l643.

Hon. WALTER FORWARD,
Secretary of The Treasury.
SIR: Doubts having arisen with regard
10 the effect which should be given al the
Custom Houses. TO the word "coarse." rs
applied to wool in the Tariff oflhe 3OIh of
August last, the undersigned beg leave 10
call your attention 10 the subject. with view
| TO decision which shall render the opera.
ton of the law uniform, and carry into e.
feet what they believe to be its trus in tent
and meaning.
10 the first clause Of the first section OF
the act it is enacted, that, ION coarse wool
manufactured. the value whereof at the
last port or place whence exported 10 The
United States. shall be seven cents or IN.
der, per pound, there shall be levied du,,
Of five per cenium nd valorem and on all
o'her manufactured wool thero shall b.
levied duty OF three cents per pound and
thirty per cenium ad vnlotem."
To enliile wool 10 be entered under this
clause, al the duty of five per cent. two
things are necessary. II must bo of ihs
value OF seven cents or under and it must
be coarse. Ii is not sufficient that il be Of
the required cheapness, but it must be coarse
also. The two requisites are so combined
in the clause. that, of the imporiutions Of
wool not exceeding the value of seven cents,
that part only which is coarse is 10 be priv.
legged with The nominal duly, leaving AL
other WOOL" including, of course, that part
oil it below seven cents in value. subjectlo
The higher duty. This construction gives
effect 10 both The requisites Of cheapness and
coarscness.
The leading consideration in he clause
in question is evidently one Of mere qualify
and this, from the natnre Of The case, is the
only consideration having a Legitimate bear.
ing upon the question between a high aud a
nominal duty. There is in the matter of
more value nothing fitted 10 determine such
a question; for what natural relation has the
mere value OF seven cents, or any other val
ue. TO high or low raIe of duty Obyi-
onsly none except it be from the supposed
relation of value TO quality.
Thus, IN the tariff Of 1892, though WOOL
costing eight cents or under was admitted
TO entry free Of duty, yet il is well known
that 1t was because of.he supposiIion that
all wool falling within that limit Us 10 vaIne,
would be coarse wool-so coarse as not 10
como in competition with the production Of
our own flocks.
1t is evident that no one point Of value
can be uniform criterion Of quality. Mar
kets are fuctuating. Various causes NAV
occur to produce unforeseen elevations or
depressions of values in foreign countries
so that particular point of value may, at
different periods, be an index of widely diff,
ferent qualities. Such was the case under
The act Of 1882. as we shall presently hays
occasion more particularly 10 notice. Il -
manifest, therefore. that the minimum Of
seven cents would have constituted a very
imperfect and inadequate test of qualiiy-of
which it was necessary there should be some
reasonably certain criterion, 10 order 10 car.
~ oul the policy Of the act of 1882 making
a distinction between fine and coarse wool
in the imposition Of duties. Hence the im-
Portance-we may SAT the indispensable ne
cessiiy, of the word "coarse" in the clause
10 question. in order TO describe a quality
of wool which the minimum of seven GEMS
might not, ia all cases, sufficiently indicate,
and 10 make distinction, the effect of which
should be 10 exclude from the nominal, and
subject TO the higher duty, all wool no!
coarse, though of value below seven cents.
Ii is, we understand. maintained by some
that the value of the wool ut the place
whence exported 10 the United States is,
under the clause in question, to be taken as
decisive of its quality, and is thus to settle
the question between the high and the low
duty. If this construction be correct, tho
word "coarse" is merely eoineidsnt in its
effect with the presumption Of quality arr
sing from value, and is, therefore. useless
A construction which involves such result
cannot be the true construction. The word
coarse is in the clause, and evidently for'