The New York herald., 1875-10-26
A QUESTION OF TARIFF.

THE IMPORTATION or CALF HAIR GooDs-Tm
PROPOSED INCREASE PRoHmITIyE DUTY.
recent decision Of the Secretary OF the Treasury 70
specng the duty calf hair goods lust now greatly
exercises large number OF importers. Previous TO
the year 1870 wool and mohair were used in the manu-
acuro OF the goods In question Ia that year General
Starring was depued by Secretary Boutwell, TO mako
examination Of the places at which they were made
1T having been stated that the use or wool had been
discontnued-and he reported the result or his in
specton that no wool used From that time until
February last the government admitted the goods az
thrty-hye per cent duty ad valorem. Then Messrs
II. Herman & Co., No. $40 Broadway, claimed a
reduction OF ten per cent, allowed by an enactment
passed in 1872, manufactures Of cotton, which is
used in the 'caf hair goods on the trial OF this suit
the government instead OF merely opposing the claim,
took the position that wool being used again by the
English manufacturers, and to sustain the position in
troducod severalGomestic manufacturers witnesses
These testified that in their manufacture ofa similar class
Of goods they used wool This movement took the
plaintiffs by surprise and the government won the suit
In this connection circular has just been received At
the Custom House. from which il appears that the suit
IN question led to an examination by the government
TINS circular shows that If the use OF
wool IN the manufacture OF these goods was estab-
lshed the government had lost large proportion OF
dues the sum represented in the suit OF Messrs Her
man alone being $1,000 II goes on further 20 state
that Professor Joseph Henry of the National Academy
OF Science al Washington, ana some or the members
acting az a commission for the government made
tests, examining nineythree different samples placed
In their hands or these samples eight reported to
have contained five per cent OF woo twenty from nve
to ten per cent; seven contain twenty forty per
cent; eleven contain ny per cent over while In the
remaining ioriyseyen samples the actual presence OF
wool a component material ascertained the per
cenagcs not being determined. The results thus OBJ
tanned certified by Drs. J. j. Woodward, of the
United states Army, and L. Laconte of Philadelphia
who in addition to two other doctors experts in high
pute, agree with the conclusions OF Professor Henry
Since june 1870, the goods admitted al tile low
duty on the oath OF the importer Now The Secretary
gives instructions to the Collector that the manufac-
turers certificate authorized in June, 1870 VIII here
after be dsrogarded not only as 10 future mportatons
OF such goods, but as TO all importatons action on
which suspended by the departments instructions
Of February - 1873 and customs experts VIII be gov
erned in the classification Of such goods before the
authorization OF such certificate and this rule will be
applied to all importations remaining in the custody Of
the Collector.
How TIE IMPORTERS FEEL
The importers do not by any means want 70
cep rs hna these conclusions Tho writer conversed
with several Of them yesterday the sub
ject Those seen agree thal this Is not a movement
on the part Of the government alone but fight
IN which the domestic manufacturers of similar goods
hide behind the government The mnortaton Of these
goods they say Will be stopped f the high rate of duty
proposed Is enforced The importance Of The matter
al concerned appears, when It is estimated that the
duties on mportations Of these goods annually amount
TO nearly S250000 The tests applied behalf OF the
government, the importers say, worthless Mr.
Danlcl McheeNcr OF the nrm OF MeSSrs, herman Co.,
states that Professor Henry admitted TO him in Wash
ington that the only test which could be applied in
the OF the microscope and that microscopcaly
amined the hairs from the belly OF a calf could not
be distinguished from wool in manufactured articles;
that chemical tests discovered the same pcculiarities
in all animal hair Now the importers contend that
the only person whose evidence is worth anything in
such an investigation is the manufacturer of the goods
In the trial of Messrs Herman & Co IS suit Mr. Nc
Keever says that Mr. John A. Bausch, the chief ap-
praiser in the wooen division for thirty years testified
that in his opinion, wool used In tho manufac-
ture OF the goods II is also asserted by the importers
that Professor Torrey, government assaycr Of this
city; Professor Arthur Of Edinburgh, Scotland and
some experts in Boston have concluded, after export
ments made, that tests could discover wool in the
manufactured goods
La previous question OF duties between the govern
ment aud Mcssrs Herman & Co., concerning Italian
cloths Mr. McKeever sent certain samples TO Washing
ton, when the conclusion TO which the Treasury
department had regarding the question at issue
forwarded he ascertained that some one In the
department. had substituted mohair for his Italians
lie does say that there has been change of samples
the Of the calf hair goods but he believes the
decision OF the Treasury not sustained by facts
trial has been granted in the suit which rst gave
to all these proceedings, and the will be soon
reheard Among the chief importers OF cali hair goods
Mcssrs Arnold, Constable 4 Co, Arnold & Roth
fields H. Herman 4 Co., Fred. Butterdeld Co. and
Sulzbacher, Guiterman & Wedeles