Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-04-06

bricks and free lumberI
Past history has not shown, however, that
the removal ,f duties OH Pictou coal, has
cheapened Che price Of the article in our
markets, or has had any other effect than to
take from our treasury the amount OF the
duties and give it, as an extra profit, to the
foreign producer Nor do believe that the
future will show any different result, if we
again make coal duty free. In the last fiscal
year, we received half million of dollars in
gold, tine tariff upon four hundred thousand
tons Of province coal. That is sum worth
saving in our present condition, and especial
ly if it is paid by others.
| 1t is certain that neither anthracite coal or
bituminous American coal, was cheapened at
all, during the existence of the reciprocity
treaty with the British provinces, under which
coal was free.
! During the first six years of that treaty, and
while the currency of this country was gold
or its equivalent, the average price of Cum
berland coal delivered on shipboard in Bal
| tmore, was three dollars and seventy-nine
cents. During the year 1870, the average
price, in currency deprecated fifteen per
cent, was only four dollars and seventy two
cents.
The quantity Of province coal delivered in
this country, has been affected quite as little
as the price, by the existence, or non-exist-
ence of duties upon it. During the first six
years of free coal under reciprocity, the largest
import was one hundred and forty nine thou
sand tons in 1860. During the six years prior
to reciprocity and with duties averaging TWEEN.
ty-four per cent, the annual import ranged
from 81 to l39,000 tons. In 1870, with spe-
cifc duty of one dollar and twenty five cents
in gold per ton, the import of province coal
had run up to four hundred thousand tons.
The price of anthracite, the principal arti-
Gle in common use, has never been affected
at all by changes in the tariff upon bitum-
uous coal, The average price of Schuylkill
white ash delivered at Philadelphia, has run
as followcs:-
For 10 years before Reciprocity, 1916.
First six years of Reciprocity, 1915.
During last four years, S44S
During the first six years of reciprocity.
before the suspension of specie payments, the
price given is the price in gold, or in its
equivalent. During the past four years, the
price given is the price in deprecated paper,
and for apart of the time in paper heavily
deprecated. These have been four years of
what is called high duty, and nevertheless
anthracite seems to have fallen in price.
rI,n, A.
so much invariably added to the cost to our
consumers, are quite mistaken. That may
be the most common fact, but in some cases,
the burden Of the duty falls wholly upon the
foreign producer, and in still more numerous
cases, it is divided, in varying proportions,
between the foreign producer and the domes-
tic consumer. In articles like coffee, tea and
sugar, having world wide markets, the do
mestic consumers can hardly escape the bur-
den of the Tariff. But with an article cir
cumstanced as pictou coal is, with absolute.
ly no foreign outlet except this country, we
can, within certain limits, SO regulate the
terms of its admission into our ports, as to
take the tax wholly out of the profits of the
foreign miner. That is exactly what we are
doing now. But when we take the duty of
we shall deprive our Treasury of half mil
lion Of dollars of annual revenue, without
cheapening the article to our consumers one
single farthing, but merely adding to he profit
of the business of foreigners.
The late Congress, in the tariff law passed
during its first session, did precisely this thing
in respect to another article, hemlock bark
Our provincial neighbors possess it in abun-
dance, but can sell it to nobody but us. Here
tofore they have paid duty; now they pay
none, but we shall get it no cheaper. The
provincial sellers will only get SO much the
more for themselves, and this is so plain,
that the Ottowa Cabinet has absolutely pro-
posed to convert this new profit into public
revenue, by imposing an export duty OF one
dollar and fifty cents per cord, as an equiva-
lent for the import duty which we had so kind
ly and gratuitously taken off.
GEO. NJ. WESTON.