The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-12-10
THE PACIFIC
Commercial A0Oerttser.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER OIL
Suggestions for II New Tariff.

suggestions for n New Tariff:
1t may, perhaps, be considered somewhat pre-
mature to open the discussion OF a question
which cannot, without a special meeting of the
Legislature, be settled till the year 1872 besides,
the duties in general merchandise not being more
than ten per cent. adj raLOrem, it may be further
considered that there is not much room for in
provement, and that any modelling with the
present tariff may possibly result in getting one
less satisfactory, or advantageous to the interests
of the country. We admit that great caution is
necessary in dealing with the tariff of any
country, but at the same time we believe it is
most important that a tariff should be SO judi
ciously contrived as to produce the required
amount of revenue with the least amount of
burden on the industry and the wealth of a
country. a little calm discussion, therefore,
some time in advance may not be thrown away.
When the duties were sweepingly fixed at ten
per cent. upon everything, it was not pretended
that any consideration or discrimination was
applied to the question, or that ten per cent. all
round was the best rate that it was possible to
fix. Indeed since the ten per cent. rate was
imposed, several notifications of it have been
introduced, and several articles have been adj
mitted free, for the simple reason that it has
appeared absurd to continue to charge duty on
them. This free list we believe would allow of
a very great extension, and to our great gain,
whilst the loss to the revenue might be made up
by placing twenty per cent. duty on certain other
articles of import, which can afford to pay it.
We do not propose to NEEDLE with the duties
on spirits, wines or such articles on which a
specific duty is levied but to deal with those
goods on which the ten per cent. is charged.
We would divide these into three classes, viz.
Free; at ten per cent. and at twenty per cent.
duty.
In the first, or free list, we would place every
thing in the shape of raw material, or rather (as
VIC are not a generally manufacturing country
of those articles which to us come as raw mate
rails, or which enter directly into the cost of our
main productions. Coal is already free. Fire
wood should be added. Pig iron and boiler plate
iron are now free. To these should be added
sheet iron, bar iron of all kinds. rivets, tubes,
piping, hoop iron, steel, copper and metals of all
kinds. We would include humber and shingles
in the free list, it is about the rdIUeSt material
we get, and it enters directly into the cost of
everything we make. We would 60 further, and
would include in the free list casks, barrels, kegs,
slaves, shocks and containers Of all kinds. There
was, some time ago, a question about duties on
secondhand barrels which had paid duty once.
The only way to consistently settle this question
is to take of the duty on all barrels and similar
containers, inasmueh as they are and must be
virtually all brought here for export, not for con-
sumption. The import duty on barrels, kegs
and hoop iron is a direct tax on the export of
sugar, mOlasses, beef, &c. On the same principle
we would include in the free list, bags aud bag
ging of all kinds, also canvass, because it is used
for the shipping almost exclusively; and while
ON dry goods we would include brown or grey
and blue cottons and denims in this list, because
they are articles of necessity, and used by the
poorer classes. For the latter reason we would
include in the free list -four and grain of all
kinds also hay, horse feed, salt beef, salt pork
and salt salmon. They are the necessaries of
life- Nor must we omit to mention rice, which
instead of charging with a higher rate of duty
we would admit free. 1t has always seemed to
us to be a most inconsistent policy to spend
money and Pains 70 bring Chinese laboreis TO the