, 1870-03-29
TIE LEATHER TRADE,

Tho New York Shoe and Lfdther Re
porter states that Mr. Schenck, Chnir-
man of tho Committee Of Ways
aud Means, answered an appeal to re-
move the duty on hides, by saying "Yes,
we will do 30, and We will also remove tho
daty On leather" This was supposed to be
athroat. Very likely the Chairman, familiar
with the supreme sel6ahness Of the tariff
lobby, supposed that m intimaion Of pu1-
pose to reduce the duty on leather would
stop the mouths of the tanners, and that
nothing more would be heard from them
about the duty on hidez We print this
morning letter from Mr.. Schultz on this
subject It appears that tanning in this
country is Of two kinds, One is the bark
tanning, wiere al the materials arc Of home
growth. In this line there can he no COM
petition from abroad. These tanners pro
duce sole, harness, belt, and like feathers,
The other tanners are those who produce
morocco and Light leather, and who obtain
their tanning md coloring material from
other countries. Everything they uss is
heavily taxed BY tho tariff
The bark tanners use machinery mnde of
irun. b1asa steel and conner, all of which
is excessively taxed. The ta.tn taxes .y-
ervtlinp ti,er have occasion to uss ;.
.ares the transnorta.,on thew e,nnlov
taxes them directly and indirectly, and Ill
under the preted Of ado1ding them protec-
finn FINN for.ip, 1aafhsr In 1gcS-o +ha
;rnno7+a of s,,Ia 1oa3har ;nto tha 11n;taa
States amounted 10 4os pounds. having a
value of sa4o Tha reason That foroion
loathe. of that kind il not imported ia that
our natural advantages a1e 50 great that va
can produce that kind of leather, despite
all tho local ta1ation, of d better qualify
and for less money than it can lie produced
abroad Previous 10 the war We exported
largely Of this leather. Even in 1868 we
exported nearly a,5O0, 900 pounds. The
bark tanners of the United States arc taxed
on IN average 20 per cent on all their mn
chiuery, under The pretext of protecting
them from co,ppetitiou in n market of
which they have not only O monopoly, but
from which, were they not thus taxed, they
could export largely to other countries, As
in the case OF the wool-erowess and tie
woollen manufacturers, the tariff confines
our tanners mainly to tile home market.
and thereby directly limits the demand for
hides to the sunnly of that market II this
system fa,se1v called .protection." which
Conoraas fo,ce. nnon them wora removo1
49, .or15 rnda...,, th. n-s.e xoaa,,t.a
1aa,1,a- 49,. -.
=. ~ 49, ..ss.- ~ aNs -
-" 'ANs ~ sA'.' 'S''.Aes :. ee4AN sA10 snoeP-
.no 'oAn - ao 'A"' 'ou'. eso
n'1n'u'ae'ufeis u. 1nelf IA" tna'ef1al cn,ens
4foio a"ioao lucy Aio ta1eo upon 'nen
machinery toe.1 ayes tnen cnemaeala,
tnear sunac' ana tne1r sklns' iney ask
mat tAe ta1 on SKINS DC reduced. ana we
hope It VIII oc- Inc ta1 OF 6o per cent on
the't machinery, ana OF loo 10 Il" per cent
npon Inc dyes they use, ought also be re-
dueed, II not repealed. for they do not, nor
are they intended to produce revenue.
lhey ought to be renewed from every ta1
lot levied directly for revenue. This
%onla reduce the cost OF their production
to an amount equal to the nominal protec-
<AoA tAI3 AoN AG-oAs0 NA4NGA tAo %A1A.
But right here arises the difficulty: VIC
Droduce twenty tons of bork-taunel leather