Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-09-22
A Study for the Tariff Commission
PHILADELPHIA Record.

| Instead of roaming about the country
| and making themselves objects Of rldi-
| cule the members of the Tariff Commits
sion would do well to sit down quietly
and study the official report of imports
and exports of the United States for the
last fiscal year. They will find in the
report silent but far more trustworthy
witness than in the noisy representatives
| of special interests who may come before
them. This body of official statistics
| will show them what foreign manufac-
| lures have increased in importation, and
what American manufactures have found
a wider sale in foreign markets. 1t will
show the necessity for a reduction of
| duties or the creation of another COM
mission to devise extraordinary methods
for expanding the enormous revenues
drained from the people by an Omniver.
GUS system of taxation. This report
will further show them what protected
interests have Outgrown the milkiness of
infancy and have attained q lusty man
hood by the increased export of their
products; and if they will pursue the in
vestjgatiOn into other trade statistics will
discover that these products are sold in
foreign markets at rates below the prices
which consumers must pay in this
country.
In spite of the heavy rates of duty,
running through the whole scale of iron
products from the crude ore to the most
highly finished article, iron and steel to
the amount of $50, 900, 900 in value were
imported last year, and of this amount
$7,147, 900 was for steel rails. AS the
average cost of steel rails was about $61
a ton and the duty $2S ton, the ad
valorem tax is about SO per cent. The
Tariff Commission cannot fail to perceive
the effect of this enormous duty in in
creasing the cost of railroad cOnstruc-
ton and maintenance, and with it the
cost of the necessaries of life. So con-
WINGED were the Republicans of the
United States Senate of the exorbitanCY of
this duty that they unanimously resolved
in caucus to make % per cent reduc-
ton. But the Convention of Iron Pro
ducers, now in session at CressOn, very
plainly manifests q purpose to resist all
reductions Of duty, and, to begin, they
have resolved that the duty on crude ore
shall be increased 20 per cent. AS long
as the duty on Bessemer steel rails is
nearly 100 per cent, the manufacturers
can afford to have the duty on ore raised
to half the amount. AS set-oH to the
duty on steel rails the farmers have pro-
lection in the duty OF IS cents bushel
on potatoes. Last year the potato crop
in this country was failure, and 8, 1884,
600 bushels of potatoes were imported,
swelling the enormous Treasury surplus
to the amount Of $1,31S, $50. But
of what value was this pro-
lection to the farmers of the country,
when they had no potatoes to SELF The
duty was tax upon consumers on a
prime article OF food. This year the
potato crop promises to be abundant, and
hence there will be no importation and
no need of protection against the for
eign producers of the esculent. Upon
the importation of sugar, reaching near
ly 800, 100000 in value, duties were
levied upon consumers to the amount of
nearly $4S, 900, 000-an excessive tax for
the protection of planters in Louisiana.
1t will be for the Tariff Commission to
consider whether they shall not report
in favor of IS per cent. reduction in
this duty, in accordance with the views
of the Republican Senators.
While wooden and cotton goods gen.
orally show an increase of imports over
1881, the value of imp Irted cotton hos
iery and underwear fell from SIS, 391, 900
to 81, sol 900. and of wooden hosiery
and knit goods from 81 200. 900 to $797,-