New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-26
EARTHENWARE DUTIES.


In any controversy about the tariff, dis
honesty of statement usually plays large part.
the controversy now In progress is not an eA-
ception, and the assertions made by opponents
of protection are often 30 grossly untrue as to
| do them no good with men of fair intelligence.
| As to the duties on earthenware, how
ever, people of some intelligence may be
deceived. The free trade journals have
| been filled of late with articles compal ing
! the present duties with those proposed by
the Tariff Commission. Thus it is made
| to appear that there Is proposed an i'm
| portant increase of duty on the goods of this
class. But every such article that we have yet
| seen, and there have been many in different
| journals, has carefully conces led the decrease
of duty resulting from change of the law re-
garding inland transportation abroad and
other such charges This suppression of truth
is so plainly intended to deceive that it de-
serves to be censured as deliberate talsehood.
The present tariff ievies duties upon sup
posed valuation ascertained by adding to the
cost at an interior foreign point of purchase
the cost of transportation to the port of ship
ment, with other charges incident to the bust
ness. These form, some goods, an impor-
point of shipment. Earthenware, being packed
in bulky crates and requiring care in handling,
Is enhanced in cost at the point of shipment in
this way more than any other considerable class
of goods. If the cost at the interior point
of purchase abroad is $1,000. and the
transportation and other charges make
the value at the point Of shipment $1,000.
the duty of 40 per cent or more is now
levied, not upon the original cost of 81 900.
but upon the cost at the place of export say
81, 800 SO that a difference of % per cent or
more in the duty is effected in the case sup
posed by this provision. Tie Tariff Commits
sion, after much investigation, reached the
conclusion that about 10 per cent on the aver
age was the enhancement of duty Oh earthen-
ware resulting from this mode of asceItaining
dutiable cost.
1t seemed best to the Commission to
abolish these charges altogether. Duties
are to be levied, il its plan is adopted, not
upon the assumed cost at the port of ship
ment, but upon the actual cost at the interior
point of purchase. In effect this is q reduction
of duty, as to eartheHware of 10 per cent or
more. Hence the Commission did not feel dis
posed to make further reduction in rates. On
the contrary, they were convinced by the evil
dence placed before them that the pres mt duties
on articles of this class are not too high, and
that they barely afiora living chance to the
do nestle manufacturers The proof on this
point, tn ough very voluminous, is exceedingly
interesting and unusually conclusive. lnasmuch
as tile Commission did not feel at liberty to re-
duce the present duty on goods of this sort, and
yet was determined to clear away the perplex-
ing duties on foreign inland transportation and
oLher such charges, it added TO the rates on
earthenware an amount which, it was thought,
would compensate for the reduction of duty 10y
abolition of the transportation and other
charges.
Now the free trade journals. in discussing the
bill OF the Commission, seize every one of them
upon the earthenware duties az proof that the
Commission has proposed an increase of duties.
Al the same time they take pains, every one of
them, to conceal the fact that the general
clause as to transpoI tation and other charges
operates an important reduction of the
duties on this class of goods. Ii this ia not a
dishonest presentation of the case, what 10 1t !
No one can deny that the reduction of duties
by reason of the abolition of charges for
transportation would be important. The |
suppression Of this vitality important feature, |
ia any consideration OF the Commissions |
bill as to esrthenware, is simply deliberate |