Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-08

tariff act OF 1916 at prices averaging 81 per cent
less and that those from Cuba, which constitute the
great bulk of the importations, were entered at
average cost of nearly 10 per cent lower than dur
ing the four years previous, under the system Of
specific duties. talsa M
am aware it may be urged that under the latter
system Che duty was then assessed per weight
there was no object in invoicing the cigars at less
and that there was often policy under the former in
putting them down at advance on the actual cost
with view to procuring undue advances or to sti-
mulating the consignees to extra zeal in effectng
sales But, on the other hand, more than half the
cigars imported for account Of our citizens
whilst the owners of but limited part of those sent
hther consignment would resort to the practices
referred to- In this view of the case, it would be
large allowance to reduce the average cost of the
Cuba cigars prior to l847 to $15 and those Of other
kinds to So; and taking these prices only as the
basis upon which to calculate the loss to the present
revenue of forty per cent ad valorem, find the
said loss to be S42S, TAB on Cuba, and 1924, 929 on
other kinds of cigars. But, leaving the latter cal
culation under the belief that it is correct in ITSELF
it remains to be observed-which is the most promi-
nent fact in the whole question--that during the
past FIVE years the advance in the prices Of cigars at
Havana and the imports from the rest Of the island
are scarcely worth notcing) is matter of general
notorety, not only to the Dealers but to every man
who INDUCES in the use Of the genuine article 1t
can scarcely be denied that such advance, from
causes not necessary now to explain amounts to thir
ty-three per cent. at the least and if we assume
such advance to have been only twenty per cent
instead Of SIS, the imports Of the first five years
should have averaged Sl8 per thousand, and the
loss to the revenue has amounted to 81 ,072, 900
| So much as it respects the actual or estimated
losses sustained by the Government through the
machinery Of the tariff of 1916 on cigars alone.
But there is another view to be taken of the case in
which the fair and honest dealer is the most inter-
ested party Assuming the real average price of
cigars at Havana to be Sl8, as above noted, and
that only one-fourth the exports have been fairly
invoiced, it reduces the prices Of the remaining
three-fourths to $1l.40; the duty on the difference,
to the benefit of the false and injury Of the fair ira
der, being ~. ga per thousand, or much more than
| the usual wholesale profits on the articles
| These remarks have been extended beyond what
was at first designed but as they not based upon
mere party feeling and are intended to awaken the
attention Of Members Of Congress of both parties to
the injurious effects of universal ad yalorem system
Of duties upon the interests Of the upright and fair
dealer independent Of the losses sustained by the
! Treasury and as the facts advanced and the de-
auctions drawn Iherefrom have been correctly ascer-
tanned carefully estimated, it is to be hoped they
will not be without their results especially on the
| minds of those directly interested
Remarks less diffuse but equally applicable upon
other articles of import will form the subject Of
succeeding article Yours, &e EQUITY.