New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-24
THE LUMBER DUTIES.


The vote on the lumber duties in the Senate
on Monday was more important than the
amount of duty now collected from lumber
would indicate. 1t was at first proposed to put
all articles of the Wood schedule into the free
list. By an amendment finally adopted, timber
hewn and sawed, timber not specially enumer-
ated, boards, planks, deals and other sawed
lumber, laths, shingles, and pine and spruce
clapboards, were put into tho free list leaving
the present duty TO stand upon manufactures
of wood and other articles of the Wood sched-
ule. The duties collected during the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1892 Oh all the articles which
the Senate voted to put into the free list were
S1,1l0,G5S o. while the duties collected on
all other articles OF the schedule were
SI76,29l 90. In the vote, Messrs. Van Wyck,
OF Nebraska, McDill, of Iowa, and. Ingalls, and
Plumb, Of Kansas, were the only Republicans
who, with Mr.. Malone, OF Virginia, and twenty
Democrats, voted for the amendment. Against
il were twenty-five Republicans and Mr.
George, OF Mississippi. clause affecting only
Sl,lOO, 900 of the revenue. and mportations of
25s, 377 cubic feet Of timber, 5l9,5l7 NJ feet
of lumber. 163,0s5 Of hath and 99,15i NJ
OF shingles, would not be very important il that
were the end of 1t. These were the quantities
actually imported last year, aud they represent
an insigniGca part of the total consumption
in this country, the receipts Mt n single city
being nearly tour times as much, and tue
total consumption about thirty eight times as
much.
But this item illustrates the utter impossible
ity of determining the effect of a change in the
tariff by means OF past importatlOns only. IL
often happens that even the best experts in the
country can form no idea how large the i'm
ports would be- if even moderate duty were
removed The imports last year of unplaned
boards of hemlock. wildwood, sycamore or
Eastwood were lG,S45 NJ feet, and of other
unplaned boards 10000 NJ feet. The aver
age value of the first class was about 50, and
the duty about IL per cent; the value OF the
second and largest class was about $40, and
tue duty 10 per cent. No one can tell how
large an increase of importatlOns might result
from removal of the duty of So per NJ feet
nor whether il would materially lower the cost
TO consumers OF merely euabe Canadians to get
higher prices. The Western Senators who in
sst upon removal of the duty, in order that
their constituents upon tho treeless plains may
get cheaper lumber for building, NE doubtless
aware that nearly all the impOrtations at pres
cnt are Mt Vermont, Champlaln, Oswego, 0s-
wegatche and Buffalo, in fact, out of $4,000
NJ feet imported in 1881. no less than 400, i42
NJ feet were imported at ports in this State,
and l34.2SS NJ feet at Vermont. Apparently
this market would be affected almost exclus-
lively, but the belief is that large imports would
be made at the West If the obstacle presented
by the present small duty should be removed,
and that the price at Chicago and other Vest
ern markets would thus be reduced. The in
creased importation, moreover, is counted upon
to retard the exhaustion of timber lands in this
country, and thus 60 prevent period OF extor-
tiOnate prices which, it is believed, must speed
lily come II the destruction of our forests con-
tinues at the present rate.
The position taken by the lumber producers
Is substantially this that the destruction of
forests is inevitable, and will go on in any case
more rapidly by fire than by the axe They
hold that the removal of the duty would only
enable Canadian producers to charge higher
price, and point to experience under the Reel
procity reaty as supporting this claim. If con-
sumers at the West are to gain nothing Of con-
sequence, the demand in this country being 80
far IN excess of the possible supply from Can
ada as to control the price, the question ia
whether it is well to confer benefit upon Can
adam producers to the detriment OF our own.
The argument would be strong if it were quito
clear that the destruction of forests cannot be
materially retarded by drawing more largely
from the Canadian supply. But the advance in
price has been large of late years. 1t was tes-
tilted before the Commission by dealers IN Chi
caGo that the average had risen from 80 63 for