The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-01-30

again under their burdens but there ID none
so transparency preposterous as that Of the
Freedmens Bureau bill now before the House
Of Representatives. If it be not killed there,
the force of wild, reckless and extravagant
legislation can no further go.
Report OF the Revenue Commission-Im-
portant Recon- endations for tho Re-
gulstion OF Taxes.
The Commission appointed at the last session
Of Congress to investigate the value Of taxable
articles Of large consumption a. sources Of
national revenue, sent their reportto the House
yesterday, whom 1t was referred to tho Com
mittee Of Ways and Means. The object of tho
Commission was to ascertain the beat means
Of equallsing excise and income taxation, and
at the same time securing to the government
remunerative revenue with the least possible
oppression. We give q very full synopsis Of
the report in another column. 1t will be found
of considerable importance, and its statistics
voumnous and valuable.
Commencing with the article Of cotton
as a source of revenue, they show that
the average yield during the years be-
tween 1926 and 1861 was 71,619,716 bales
the crop Of the latter year amounting to
3,856,OS6 bales, of which 843,740 were con-
sumed in the United States. The evidence
furnished from all sources demonstrates that
all the efforts made to raise cotton for the use OF
Europe, during the late war, in India, Brazil,
Egypt, China and japan, were complete fail
| ures. America alone can be depended on for
cotton. During tho years 1s60-'61 eighty
seven and half per cent of this article con-
sumed in Europe was American. AS source
| of revenue, the Commission recommends that
tax OF five cents a pound shall be levied
upon all cotton raised in the United States
after the 1st of July, 1866, and that this tax
shall be collected, not on the plantations, but
| from the manufacturers and from the export
merchants, at the port Of shipment; no vessel
with cotton on board tobe furnished with clear
aace papers without certificate from the Asses
sor OF Internal Revenue. But they also propose
drawback on all exported cotton fabrics Of
as many cents per pound on the cloth exported
as are assessed ON the raw cotton entering
into the manufacture of the cloth; and
in addition to The drawback they suggest that
all cotton goods exported should be exempt
from the payment of all other excise taxes.
In connection with the excise tax on raw
cotton it is recommended that specific duty
be laid upon all imported cotton fabrics Of as
many cents per pound as the excise tax puts
upon raw cotton. The Commission calcu-
lates that with cotton crop of four millions Of
| BNles-which is less than that Of 1860-the
l government would receive q revenue from
c5tton Of $S8, O00, 900, and thus be enabled to
reduce the tax upon other articles which are
| less able to bear 1t.
| With regard to coffee 1t Is stated that the an
nual consumption in this country the year
| before the war was two hundred million
pounds, twenty-nine per cent Of the annual
| exports from all the coffee producing ooun-
| tries from 1865 to 1864 The Commission
| finding that the immense consumption Of coffee
| will return revenue during the next fiscal
year of eight millions, at the present duty
| Of FIVE cents per pound, therefore recommend
| that this rate shall remain unchanged, but that
tax OF two cents pound, instead of one cent
be imposed upon all ground coffee, or other
material, intended to sdultcrate coffee; the
same TO be collected by stamping the pack
ages. As an experimental measure, 1t IL sug-
gcsted that license fee of $50 be required
from every one culdvating chicory for sale,
and 500 from those manufacturing adulterated
coffee, or anything to be sold as q substitute for
coffee.
! The average annual consumption of cane
sugars in the Atlantic States Ii shown TO be
nearly nineteen million pounds; and in the
United States the consumption Of sugars Of all
kinds is 922 100000 pounds. The Commission
| finds, upon reliable evidence, that the maxi
mum product Of domestic cane sugar for
the year ls66-'67 will not exceed $4,000
tons, and that the consumption of the coun-
try for the year lsG7-'65 will probably require
an importation Of 2S5, 625 tons of foreign sugar.
II is recommended, therefore, that the excise
| tax Of three per cent on all sales of sugar
rcfners be repealed, and that in lieu the
impost and excise on all foreign and domestic
| cane sugars be advanced halfa cent pound,
and on all foreign and domestic molasses two
| cents gallon. The Commission believes that
| by this method all the objections growing out
Of the present system will be removed, the
refining interest Of the country stimulated and
q largely increased revenue accrue to the
government An additional one-balf cent on
600, OO0,0OO pounds Of imported sugar will
yield s3,OO0,ooo, or nearly one hundred per
cent more than the revenue derived during the
last fiscal year from tax Of three per cent on
| the sales Of rehners.
The tax on the manufacture of distilled
liquors Is to be reduced from two dollars to
one dollar gallon.
The tax on brokers' sales Is reduced 10 one