Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-01-30

TuE T.RIrr-It would seem that The Committee OF
Ways and Means in the House of Representatives are
not altogether idle for they have addressed the follow
ing circular to merchants in all parts OF The country:
WAsHISGros, -, 1874.
The Committee Of Ways and Means of The House OF
natives have directed me, their Chairman,
to institute enquiries Of the importing and other mer-
chants for the purpose of ascertainng what are IN
fact the rates Of duty upon vurons articles OF ImPora
ton under the present Tariff law. the committee
wish the foreign invoice cost reduced 10 par IN dollars
and cents the duty under the present law and the rate
ad vaorem which that duty would be upon the cost
sessed.in conformity with the present law. The COM
Mite are unable to name articles, they wish from
each merchant h,use the information possessed by
il: and they suppose that will most generally be conf
ned TO the articles in which the house deals and
trades still If the persons addressed should pcs
ses knowledge in ether branches OF trade, or IN
relation 10 other articles than these to which Their
nresent business is confined, such Information Will
be mos, acceptable. You will please to remark
that the inquiries Of the committee are exclusively Tor
facts and they therefore only wi. such statements az
are within the knowledge of their correspondents =
They suppose the bills and books OF every merchant
will enable him to give the cost abroad of all the articles
he imports while the law will give him The rate of du
" fixed by it and his transactions with the custom
house will give HIM a knowledge OF the manner IN
which The duties assessed under line law, and ena-
BILE him TO determine what IS, act The rate ad valo-
rem of the duty upon The cost II Will not escape your
attention that these inquiries most important IN re-
ference to those duties which under the law are spec
6c and not ad yalorem and yet, considerations con-
nected with the manner o! assessing the ad vaorem
duties under the law, may render The information I'M
portant as 10 those duties Also
IL this information can be given in tabular form,
stating in the first column the name of the article; IN
the second the description as running yard, square
yard feet measure pounds weight and he ike; IN the
third the foreign cost; in The fourth, the foreign cost
reduced t. the par Of dollars and cents in the fifth the
roe Of duty, specific or ad valorem, fixed by the law
and in the sixth the rate ad valorem which that duty
would be upon the foreign cost; it Will make it easily
ineligible 10 all, and give il uniformity as t. all
classes of mpor,aons If there shall he various qua
tes Of articles paying the same rate OF duty and bear
ing the same general name, such as SILKS the commit
tee desire the statement show the rates oil duty upon
the different qualities. especially that they may see
whether in any, and what cases, the cheaper articles
paw The higher duty. The committee will be also
obliged for information in relation to the relative i'm
porance Of the various artclss and especially of the
prominent ones as articles OF importation IN the trade
Of our country, and in reference 10 its revenue from
customs also whether the importation OF any OF the
important articles named is increasing or decreasing
materially and # So whether that increase or d'm'nu
ton lie cccasoned by the present arrangement OF the
duties An eary answer is requested
/ am, very respectfully, DC,
J. j. MCKAY, Chairman.