The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-07-25

canfa
ted to the United States, shall be seven ee"'S
or under per pound, there shall be leVieu uuy "
five per centum ad vulorum; and on all othe' u"'""
ulactured wool there shall be levied duty OF three
cents per pound and thirty per centnm aa Va'ore''
TO entte wool to be entered under TINS clhuse' "t
the duty Of five per cent, two things are necessary;
1t must be of the value OF seven cents or uhuer' u
il must be COARSE IL is not sufficient that DC Oh Jus
required cheapness, but it must be coarse aIso' me
two requisites are so combined in the clause that, oil
the importations of wool not exceeding the value oil
cents, that Part only which Is coarse ~ u DO
privileged with the nominal duty, leaving . a1t oMer
WOOL including, Of course, that pat Oh IL below
seven cents in value, subject to the higher duty.
This construction gives effect to both The requisites oil
cheapness and coarseness.
The leading consideration in the clause in question
is evidently Of mere quality and this from the
of the case, is the only consideration having
legitimate bearing upon the question between high
and nominal duty. There is in the matter OF mere
value nothing fitted TO determine such question
for what natural relation has the nero value
OF seven cents, any other value, to high or
n low rate Of duty? obviously except 1t be from
the supposed relation on value to quality.
Thus in the tariff OF 1882, though wool costing
eight cents or under was admitted TO entry free OF
dntv vet it IS well known that because OF the
supposion that all wool falling within that limit as TO
value would be coarse woolso coarse as not to come
in competition with the production of our own Hooks
II il evident that point OF value can be u
uniform cliternn of quality. Markets are fluctuating
Various may occur to produce unforeseen e'e-
vatons or depressons of values in foreign countries;
90 that particular point Of value may, at different
perods. be an index of widely different qualities.
Such was the case under tho act Of 1882 as we shall
presently have occasion more particularly to notice.
II is manifest therefore, that the minimum OF seven
cents would have constituted very imperfect and IN
adequate test of qualiy-of which il was necessary
there should be reasonably certain criterion, IN
order to carry out the policy Of the act OF S32 maxi
ing distinction between fine and coarse wool in the
imposition of duties, Hence the lmportance-we
NAV say the indispensable necessity, Of the word
.scoorse in the clause in question, in order to des-
crbe n quality of wool which the mini mum OF seven
cents nipht not in all cases. sufficiently indicate land
10 make distinction the effect of which should be TO
exclude from the nominal, and subject to the higher
duty all wool not coarse, though Of value below
seven cents.
It is, VIC understand, maintained by some That the
value of the wool at the place whence exported 20
the United States is under the clause in question, TO
be taken decisive of its quality, and Is mus 10 set
tie the question between the high and the 10" duly.
If this construction be correct, tho word coarse IS
merely coincident in its effect with the presumption
of quality arising from value, and is, therefore, use
less A construction which involves such result
cannot be the true construction. The word coarse
s in the clause and evidently for distinct definite
purnose What ,rns that purpose, unes 1t was that
for which we contend, If anu effect is TO be given
10 it. what can That effect be if 1t is not that wool,
though costing less than seven cents, sAaIi not DC
privileged with the nominal duty unless be coarse
also, If this is not TO be taken TO he the erect oil
the word coarse in this connection Is Impossible 10
conceive what effect it was intended TO have 10
deny il this effect is to make il s6nseess surplussnSe
The correctness Of the position that the word coarse
was intended TO limit the five per cent privilege 10
wool Ycullu COARSE and not constructvey so ny rea-
son of its value in the foreign market, Is sustained
end illustrated by n reference to the history of the
introduction Of the word into the clause IN question,
connected with the history Of our previous legislation
on the subject
under, was admitted free Of duty, because, us we
have remarked, il presumed, from reference TO
its value to be coarse. The word course was not in
the act but the quality was left to be inferred rom
the value In the tariff of 1912 the quaHfy oil inc
wool to be privileged with the nominal duty was not
left to depend upon such inference; but, instead
of it. a strong term was used to express the quality
Of the wool which was to be subjected to the
nominal duty. That term was the word course
Now why this change of phraseo'ogy!-Why was
il not enacted simply that wool costing seven cents
or under should be subject to duty OF FIVE per cent
leaving the quality to be inferred from the price, as
in the act of 1889? The reason is found IN the
practical operation Of the duty-ee clause OF that act
Under that clause large quantities of fine wool had
been imported free of duty, because costing eight
cents or under. The great reduction in the price oil
fine wool which gave such an unlocked for effect TO
the clause in question resulted from the large produc
ton of wool of that quality in Buenos Ayres by cross
oil
sheen so as to produce quality of wool coming
within the description Of fine wool, and yet at cost
not exceeding that of the coarse wool contemplated
in the duty free clause Of the act of 1924 cost re-
duced to a low point by the cheapness OF land and
labor in Buenos Ayres, together with climate dis
pensina with the use of fodder for the support of
sheep. and remarkably favorable TO their health and
longevity
1t appears from the Custom House returns that e.
even hundred and one sheep, Of the aggregate value
Of $40, 565-averaging $500 each, and therefore
presumed to have been merino bucks-were exported
from the United States to Buenos Ayres IN the years
1887 and 1888. The quantity Of wool, the product
of the crossing of these merno, with the native South
American sheep-imported into the United States at,
and below the value, eight cents cannoto of course,
be ascerained. The mportatons from that country
of wool costing eight cents and under, were greatly
increased in the succeeding years; embracing, as is
well known, much fine wool and therefore presumed
to have been the product of the crossings referred to-
That increase will appear by the following statement
of the imporations of wool costing eight cents and
under from Buenos Ayres during the years ls39-40
and Al, compared with the previous three years.