New-York tribune., 1883-03-14
4 LEGISLATIVE MISTAKE.

The official announcement that two sections
of the new tariff bill. by which duties are con-
siderable reduced. take effect Immediately upon
the uassage of the act and have been IN iact OF
full force and validity since March j, Will be
received with some surprise. Apparently there
ia little disposition to eIaggerate the impor-
tance of the ,ident bunder made in the Senate
and IN conference committee, by which these
two sections were 80 wordcd as to go into effect
prior TO other chunges OF duties upon imports.
and it may be well to state, therefore, that tue
utmost effect OF these provisions, rs estimated
by Mr.. Morrill, and the Senate Committee Is To
diminish duties collected by about SO,4OO,OOO
yearly, OF 2lo per cent On few classes 0t
goods. however, the change Is more important.
II came 10 pass as follows: The Tartf Com
mission submitted certain changes IN the talilf
schedules and other changes III laws gov
crning the collection of duties, without specify
ing any date at which either should take effect.
The Senate provided that the Substitute Tor
Title 33, Revised Statutes, embracing the tarilf
schedules. should 20 into effect July /, Out
when the amendments to the next title, III, re-
Iuting 10 tho collection of duties, were reached
in the consideration of the bill, it decided to
strike ont most of them excepting two, that
sectiou .. oO7 and Section 2,00S, Revised Stat
utes be repealed. Mr. Beck then moved a SUBJ
stitute for the purpose of making the repeal
more definite, which was adopted, but neither
he. nor the Committee, nor the Senate observed
that no date was fixed at which the repeal
sbould 20 into effect. Nor was the omission
noticed in the committee OF conference The
sections thus repealed are as follows:
SIC QoO7--In determining the dItable value OF mer-
oandie there shall be- added to the cost 10 the actual
Wholesale price general market value at tho time OF
xportnon In the principal markets Of tho country from
wheAce the has been imported into the Unitod
States the cost OF transportation shipment, AMI trans
shipment with all tho expenses included from the place
Of growth production manufacture whether by land
or water to the vessel whoh shipment Ia made to tho
United 81 aes tho value OF the sack box covering Of
any kind in which such merchandise ia contained oom-
mi son at the usual rates bu In ease less than 29
per centu aud brokerage, export duty, and all other
actual usual charges for putting up preparing ana
packing for transportation shipment All charges OF
general character incurred in tho purchase OF general
invoice shall be distributed pro rata among all parts OF
such invoice aud every part thereof charged with duties
based on value sha he advanced according ~ Its pro-
portion and al wines and other articles paying specific
duty by graes shall be graded and pay duty according
to the actual valuo so determined.
SEQ 29Ds-All additions made to the entered value OF
merchandise for charges shall be regarded as part 0t the
actual value OF such merchandise, and II such addition
shall exceed by 10 per centum the value declared In the
entry, ia addition the dnucs imposed by law, there
shall be collected duty OF 20 per centum on such value
Some provisos follow not now OF impor-
tance. The effect of these clauses was to add
20 per cent ad valorem duty to the duties other
wise imposed, whenever the cost of inland ship
ment or transhipments the commissions (at
% nd thn I,pnlr
and other charges, exceeded 10 per cent of the
original cost of the imported articles at the
place Of growth or manufacture. The Tariff
Commission urged the repeal Of these sections
because of the great labor at the custom
"houses In apportoning and distributing tho
@charges on the liquidation OF entries Gas we
are advised, the work of liquidation on al va
"lorem goods is more than doubled by reason
q Of those charges and their distribution), the
avery great delay 10 liquidation consequent on