Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-12-10
REPORT or THE TARIFF COMMIs.
SION.

REPORT or THE TARaff CON MY
SION
The report ofthe tariff commission,
presented to Congress on Monday, says
the commission has sought to present
a scheme of tariff duties in which sub
stantial reduction should be the dis.
tinguished feature. The average re-
duction of rates, including that from
the enlargement Of the free list, and
the abolition Of duties and charges at
which the commission has aimed, Is
not less on average than twenty per
80, .-.I,. a. - the opinion OF the com-
mission that the reduction will reach
twenty-five per cent. The reduction ia
many cases is forty to fifty per cent.
The commission notes the necessiSyses
adhering to the designations and
phraseology of the system which Is the
growth OF century, and avoiding any
sweeping change which would perhaps
react upon labor, depreciate values and
bring disaster.
The commission, in view Of the best
sentiment of the conservatives in the
country, adhered to the injunction Of law
which directs it to seethat justice is
done all existing interests. The COM
mission declares that high duties have
atendency to create prejudice, encour-
age unsafe investment Of capital, and
causea plethora of certain commodities.
That time has come when a reduction
from high war rates can safely be made
theand the increase in production by the
older industries is sufficient to admit Of
a reduction without any impairment
of the ability to compete. As the
amount of the reduction cannot be stat
ed with precision, it follows that no
statement can be safely made as to the
effect of the reduction upon the totsl
volume of revenue from import duties.
1t is probable the reduction of the total
volume of revenue would not be
propOrtiOnate to the reduction of duties,
for the reason that the reduction may
temporarily, at least, increase impor-
tatiOns and greater revenue, for the
time, may result from lower duties.
1t has been the. effort of the commits
sion to make the reduction apply to the
commodities of necessary general con-
sumption, and to diminish or withhold
the reduction upon commodities of high
cost, requiring more labor, and which
being consumed principally by the
more wealthy classes, could bear high
er duties, at the same time supplying
revenue and encouraging the higher
artS without h.;.,o- .~.,------'.- - '~NlA
operation. 1t has been sought, invaria-
bly,, to make the discrimination in the
rate of duties imposed on manufactured
product and raw material, or partially
manufactured product, Of which it is
made, the object being to impose a
igher duty upon the latter. In some
cases, the revision has no regard for the
revenue feature, Us with books, the tar
i'll on which is largely reduced in the in
terests Of education and progress, while
works of art are increased to encourage
American artists. Recommendation
are made to facilitate the enforcement
of the tariff laws, one of which is that
duties on charges be repealed with
others TO do away with the annoyance
to foreign commerce, now prevailing.
\ custom court, to decide questions of
the import trade is recommended. The
report pats the annual industrial pro-
duct of the country at S6,000,0OO, and
shows that the United States, in the
matter of productive interests, is now
the first country in the world. The re-
port of the commission is unanimous.
The revision fixes the duty on steel
rails at $lT.92 per ton, or 50 cents per
cwt. All other parts of the iron sched-
ule are consistent with this. There Is
an entirely new schedule of chemicals,
based upon scientific methods, and the
schedule upon metals is arranged upon
q new plan. The reduction in wool is
said, in the report, to be of such char
acter as 10 commend itself to the pub
lie, the greatest reduction being upon
blankets, upon which the tariff was ex-
cessive. No duty is recommended on
quinine. The duty on wood pulp is
abolished, and that on wood and lum-
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