New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-29
roREIGN AND DOMESTIC DUTIES
ON STEEL.
AI.e,,er from an American Steel Manu-
facturer.

facturer.
To he Editor Of The n. j. Eoeaing Post
SIR: A friend has just placed IN my hahuS
letter headed " Steel Producers and Ssd Consumers
dated 7th ns and published in The EreHtzs Post over
the signature Of /" Importer.
The writer SAYS that he is not saGt'sn''y Jo"''0'
~.A the manufacture Of Stee and ne precise a"onnt IN
rernal Reuenus Died thereon " us Var'0as stages o.
,aaufaerys" to controyer the statement OF Senator
Sprague in regard 10 the onerous domestic tax as com
pared with the foreign duty on this article
As Importer" aOud IKE TO see Senator Spreeaef
moot propose TO enighten him by furnishing the
figures; but before doing So viii reproduce MS own
statement as to the cost of imported Sel in Liverpool
and the increase of duty thereon since 1876 in order
that he reader may be better able TO make the compar
ison Here it is;
Cannon German steel for springs of locomotives and
railroad cars and for wagon springs and tires OF all
Kinds is worth in Liverpool CID fifteen pounds
sterling per of $40 pounds and the duty on import
ing il is 2 cents per pound or $50 ~ per un IN eod
OF say ~ per cent ad valorem -,
TO show the amount and rate ofnerease in the duty
sine, ls4o, append the following table:
Tariff. Rate OF duty.
July, 1876 l5 per cent I'D valorem which on sl5 at
81 81 equals { % 60 per tun.
July, 1857. 70 per cent ad yaorem which, on ais OF
81 "a. equals az II per tun.
April. 1861 $50 60 per tun specific.
August 1862. $50 20 per tun (specihcl
July. 1864. -. $50 40 per tun (speclhc'.
we compare the present duties with those formerly
PAID We find the increase TO be;
y! per cent upon the tariff Of 1902
30 per cent upon the tariff Of lsdl
57s per cent upon the tariff Of 1851.
400 per cent upon the tariff OF le4t.
1t is claimed by the above statement that the present
price Of Steel in Liverpool for springs. tires &C. VIZ
'steea poundi sterling per run Of 2"4O PoaRds' has
been the same since 1916 which is twenty years. and
basing bis estimate on 81 "a TO the pound sterling it
follows that this description of steel was only worth
5 is cents per u at the port Of Liverpool during all
that time.
Having some experience in these matters, DO not
hesitate to say that examination Of the foreign IN
voices on file il the NewYork Custom'House will
reveal very different basis of calculation upon the
price of steel when the duty only 70 or Is per cent
I'd Valorenl
Apart from this shall take exception 10 the cor
fectness Of Importers figures but if by reason OF
cheap labor steel of this description can be produced
In England so tha the current price in Liverpool with
exchange added is only is cePts per pound, the
freight Of NOT brought in BALLAST being about one
fifth Of q cent more or say less than 81 cents per %
delivered in New,Yo7k to which add the duty 2s
cents making in all but 81 cents per pound TO the i'm
porter in gold how is possible Tor the American man
nfaeurer to compete with his British rival when the
raw material be uses alone costs from 500 70 500 per
tun to begin WITH e..
The internal Revenue tax upon what is known
Common German Steel distinguished from Cast
etee, being levied upon the selling radiation, viii
smo1nt directly and indirectly, TO at least 2l cents
per pound
now proceed 10 Show the revenue derived by Gov.
srnmebt from each tun Of Cast Steel manufactured in
This country. ~
The figures are obtained from carefully prepared
Statement published by order of the American Iron
End Steel Association and includes The indirect tar upon
labor founded upon the estimates of d. j. Morren, esq
Of the Cambria Iron Works applied to the msnufae
-ture of iron rails
The sane per eentage has been adopted upon Steel.
although from the higher character Of the skilled labor
employed it is than probable the taxes incurred
upon the consumption of the latter class Of operatives
ere considerably greater than upon the former.
The following is intended 10 show the revenue OF
Government upon saea Of rolled or hammered Cast
Steel made in the United States, under the law as it
now stands viz:
The excise per tun on rolled hammered SteelsSlj 90
The excise per tnn of blooms used in making co
The excise per tun Of Jar iron used in making
Steel is Observation-Disclosures. co
inc Steel il ....-.......... 90
The excise on 10 TINS coal.................... GO
The excise on east iron molds castings for re-
pairs, friedrich. oil, &c, used in making one
tun Of Steel W
The cost OF stamps on letters, notes checks. bills
OF lading. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES W
The Indirect tex on labor, on same basis as that
estimated by ID. j. Morrell, esq at the Cam
bria Iron Works average value OF Cast
Steel, per cent inclusive Of income tax % 90
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS O w
ia;