Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-04
THE TARIFF COMMISSION.
THE VIEWS OF NEW YORK MER.
CHANTS.
An Argument Against the Increase of
Duty on Jute-SuggestiOns from Manu-
facturers and Importers.

NEW YORK, October 9.-The Tariff Com
mission to-day heard number Of persons,
one Of whom, George W. Dean, of New
York, advocated a new section to the tariff
law authorizing the Secretary of the Treasu-
ry to increase the import duties one-sixth
whenever the imports OF any year exceed
five-siXths Of the value of the exports for
the same year; this step to be taken without
waiting for Congressional action.
Mr.. Joseph Lyman, representing the firm
OF A. A. LoWe's Brothers, importers of tea,
raw SIX, hemp, iute, sugar and China sun
drles, read an argument against the pro-
posed Increase Of duty Oh iute. He as
sumed 1t to be the common sense of the
people that the tariff should be simplifed,
and relieve OF all unnecessary taxation,
and that the Tariff must desire
to hear arguments in regard to special arti-
cies taxed He therefore asked to present
some 2cts In regard to MANILA, sisal
hemp. 1ute and iute butts. Jute paid duty
OF SO ton, and jute butts of So ton.
The annual imports Ofjute were about 60, 600
bales, and Of iute butts 100000 bales
The product to the revenue
on both articles was somewhat less than
S5OO,O He believed that there we're no
vested Interests that could properly demand
tax on these two sorts OF raw fibre. The
cry came, however, from the Louisiana
newspapers that iute could be raised there
as valuable crop. He had heard that cry
Tor about ten years, but he had yet to see a
bale or Jute or Of jute cuttings Of American
production, and he had heard or read of
only ten bales raised as an experiment.
III the tariff were increased the process Of
1ute manufacturing in America would be
checked, and the interest sthat now import
lute and lute butts would suffer materially.
III the tax were removed its removal would
stimulate and energize American manufac-
turing interests, and materially assist COM
petition with England and Scotland. In re-
gard to hemp, he argued that there was no
need OF protection to American hemp, be-
cause IT'S character and qualities Snd use
were different from those of Manila hemp
or Sisal hemp. He touched upon other
matters, showing the inequalities and IN
congTuities in he tariff
Mr.. r II. Wolff, of New York, represent
ing twenty-five wire and spring manufsc-
turers-a large msjOrity, he said, OF all
such MAJ ufacturers in this country-made
an argument against an increase OF duty on
steel wire rods, which is at present thirty
per cent, and in favor OF its reduction.
VIM. d. Mamel, Of New York. an i'm
porter, read long argument in favor of the
abolition of the duty on raw material, such
as wool and iron ore, a reduction OF duty
on other forms of iron, and the abolition Of
the duty on bituminous coal as
means Of reducing the cost of manu-
facture in the Eastern States. He also
favored direct tax aud a tax on tea and
coffee, assuming, he suggested, a system of
legislation by which 500, 900 900 would be
derived from the tariff 500, 600 900 from
direct taxation. $50 100000 from internal
revenue, and $50 600 090 from miscellaneous
sources.