New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-22
TIFF SENATE TARIFF BILL.

The manufacturers OF iron anu steer are m"hi-
testify alarmed. The Tariff bill which has passed
the Senate. they fully believe, will work great
injury to an industry of surprising importance
If there are people who can meet this genuine
apprehension with laugh, or hostile sheer,
or a callous @WhO caresf Serves them rlght'
such persons cannot comprehend the vast I'M
portance of this branch of manufactures III the
industrial development of the country A popu-
lat,on greater than that Of some entire states
il now dependent upon this industry, ana the
sturdy men employed in 1t, great army IN
nnmbers. are above the average III force,
in real usefulness, in influence and in IN
tellieence. To expose such an industry u
onv needless peril would be unreasonable folly.
The bill which the Senate has passed is, In
many respects. an admirable one. 1t offers real
and great reforms, not merely in what may be
termed the administration of the tarid, not
merely in prevention OF costly and yexatlous llti-
gatlon, and not merely in reduction OF taxes
which have been found excessive. AT many
points it extends to important branches OF IN
dustry measure Of protection that has been
greatly needed but not hitherto enjoyed On
the whole. it is measure that should be ar
dainty suppOrted, prorided it does not embrace
some vital error that, by prostrallng Important
industries, may work harm enough to outweigh
all the good that it can do. But many OF the
iron and steel manufacturers believe that the
bill does embrace such errors, and that 1t would
be peculiarly disastrous at this time because IL
bears most heavily upon an Industry when ID
at present staggering under serious difficulties
The duties of which greatest complaint Is
made are those upon various forms of steel. The
country has been strongly impressed with be-
lief that the duties on Bessemer steel rails have
| been too high, and it is possible that public
opinion and the Senate have both been in
clined to 90 to extremes in the opposite direc'
ton. and to include in sweeping changes, moi
only the rails, upon which the duty has been ex
cessiye, but other forms of steel that have been
admitted at very moderate rates. Some weeks
ago The TRIBUNE set forth the facts respect
| ing the Bessemer rail duty, and showed that
while the reduction proposed by the Iarif
| Commission would be safe and justifable, any
considerable reduction hey ond that point would
| involve great risk. The Senate, however, hai
| gone beyond the Commission, perhaps not fal
| enough as to Bessemer rails TO involve rea
danger. but relati vey much further as to some
| other important forms OF steel.
The extraordinary importation OF 464,l7l,'
s28 pounds of steel blooms during the last lis
cal year occurred ia spite of duty OF 40 PEI
| cent But the Senate has voted to reduce TIN
rate to 40 per cent. The average cost OF such
blooms imported last year was a cents per
pound, or $28 per ton, and the duty $l2 "
per ton, which the Tariff Commission proposed
to make $13 40 per ton, while the Senate maj
voted to reduce 1t to 81 20 per ton. Upor
| the lower grades of steel, which cost less thai
the average, the Commission held it wise u
recommend a considerable advance, perhaps
because the imports had of late so greatly III
creased, but on such grades the duty under thu
| Senate bill would be less than 50 per ton. Il
| does not seem improbable that such reduction
would cause large increase of imports, and
actual increase of revenue, with greater EN-
barrassment to home manufacturers.
The Commission proposed graduated dut,
for smaller ingots, blooms, slabs and othe
specified forms of steel, namely, 2 cents pc
pound for articles worth cents or less, %
cents for articles worth from to cents, ant