Middletown transcript., 1869-11-06
1srEREsTrse oFE4c.AL srAT4srIcs.

A report recently Issued from the Du-
reau Of Statistics of the Treasury DEPART
ment, makes an elaborate exhibit Of the
principal articles of foreign production
which entered into consumption in the
United States in the year 1863. 1t giyes
the quantities, values, rates of duty, aggre-
gate of duties, &c, with the aggregate vai-
ne Of all these products. IL appears that
in the fiscal year 1868, the gross value of
the foreign products that entered into con-
sumption in the United States, was $957,.
259 900. This is an enormous quantity
Of foreign goods to be consumed in one
year by this country, heavily in debt as II
was in the year referred to, and as il l. ~
now. The amount stated, is the invoice
value in goldLthe amount paid was pros
badly great deal more, as there is chron-
ic disease of undervaluation in far ton
many invoices, made out for Custom House
inspection. The amount of dutiablc goods
in the aggregate above given, was $32S,:
1873, 104, and the aggregate Of duties paid
was $159, 500, ,569, from whieh it1apposrs
that the average rate Of duty on all dutia-
BILE goods is about forty-nine per cent, The
list of the classes Of imported goods that
are taxed to yield the amount of duty Just
mentioned covers eighteen closely printed
quarto pages, yet it is curious to observe
what q small number of articles yield near
ly all of the customs revenue, With but
slight inspection of the table, we have Sc
lected fourteen articles (or classes) that
paid $131 1854, ,459 Of the $159, 500 ,669
of duties on the foreign goods consumed in
1868. These are sugar and molasses, cof-
fee, tea, wool and its manufactures, silks.
iron and steel, cottons spirits, wines, &C.
fax and its manufactures, chemicals, fruits,
tobacco, feathers, and hemp and its manu-
factures. The three articles of sugar, cof-
fee and tea consumed in that year paid
S54 $40, ,589 in duties. These figures
show how simple the tariff might be made
if no other object than revenue had to be
considered in its adjustment. They also
show how many of the necessaries of life,
which enter into the daily consumption of
the poor, are heavily taxed by the present
enormous tariff. And yet, ignorsnt pre-
tenders say that the poor are not taxed:
Some Of the figures, are both interesting
and curious. Thus, the quantity of coffee
which entered into consumption in 1868
was 212. .379 ,266 pounds, and its value, as
entered in the customhouse, was 1923, ,015,-
316. If any one undertakes to calculate
the cost Of coffee from these figures, he
must remember that the value given is in
gold : that he must add fire cents a pound
in gold for duty, and also the cost of trans=
portation. The quantity. of tea entered
for consumption during the same year was
81, ,555, 733 pounds. and its invoice value
was $11 ,948, ,112, in gold, and any calcu-
lation here will have to include .t,oenty:fre
cents pqapd duty, in gold, and cost Of
Transportation also. sa2 3fi'of '7'oI1s -
We have made hasty examinatian Of.
the tables in another direction, viz. among
the articles of foreign production purchased
in that year, which the purchasers would
have been as well off without, and which
add but little or nothing to the aggregate
wealth of the country. In this list we
find (among other articles not enumerated)
that diamonds, jewelry, fancy articles, ius
cluding dolls, toys, artificial feathers, CO.
1ogne water, cosmetics, beads, &c. beer,
spirits, wines, tobacco, cigars, velyets,
silks, ribbons, false hair, furs, fruits, &c.
of foreign production. consumed in 1868
cost no less than $38, ,095, ,332. This great
sum, it should be remembered, is but
part Of the foreign expenditures for arti-
cles that the purchasers could absolutely do
without, yet even that part would go .
long way towards placing the balance Of
trade on the right side of our annual ac-
count, if the articles had been allowed to
remain abroad, and scarcely any one here
would have been dollar the worse off to-
day. We find among these classes of ar
ticles an expenditure Of $20S, 900 for '.hu-
man hair" cleaned and "uncleaned f'""
1t is quite curious to look among the.
entries under the head of wines The Oh.
server seeks in here for those high priced
imported wines" of which so much is
heard when a bottle or case of wine is or
dered.. Over six million of gallons Of I'M
ported wines are included in these tables,
but of that amount it Is noticeablethat o.
383, ,27S gallons are inyoieed at less, than
fifty cents gallon 5l5 900 are ,inyoiced
between fifty cents and dollar gallon;
and only 203 ,552 gallons at from one to
two dollars gallon. These, it is true,
are gold prices, and the duties in gold are
respectively twenty cents. fftg reepts, and
one dollar a gallon, and % per cent. ad-
valorem. An examination Of the spark
ling Wines (Chanpagnes) shows that the
496, 1856 bottles (quarts) of sparkling vino
which entered into consumption in 1868,
were inyoiced at $44S,4SS, l5,l or about
ninety cents per quart bottle. This is also
gold, and the duty is fifty cents per bottle
in gold z ,''' -. 31'. '-'in ses.,s7''s'iAf-
Thus our readers will see that there isa
good deal Of interesting matter in dry
PabliGati0R Of official figures by the Stats:
tical Bureau. IL -
l#.au.3 sd3 .hta o. Sail u zsvl gagFy
An imaginative writer says: "Woman
is compounded Of three articles, sugar,