Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-14
GE0RGIA'S INTEREST
MEMORIALS TO BEMTRODUCED
IN THE HOUSE TO-DAY.

"A Y
One of them from the Savannah Rice
AssOciatiOn-The Three Periods in the
| History of the Industry-The Com
Plainants and Petitions of the Pa
/ pers.
! WASHINGTON. Jan 13.-Representative
Nichols will introduce in the House to-
morrow, in the shape of memorials, some
/ very interesting matter in regard to rice
and the duty on that article. These me-
MORALS will be referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means. Mr.. Blount is a
member of that committee. Mr.. Nichols
has called Mr.. Blounts attention to the
memorials, with the request that he look
into the matter. This Mr. Blount will do.
One Of the memorials is from the special
committee Of the Savannah Rice Associa-
ton. 1t states that there are three dis
tinctive periods IN the history of the rice
industry in the United States. First, from
its introduction into Virginia and South
Carolina in the seventeenth century down
to 1861; second, from 1861 to 1866. both in
cluive; and third, from 1866 to 1888.
1t is remarkable that in the first five
years of the third period, the total eXpOr-
tatiOn of domestic rice was greater by
nearly 40 per cent. than in the eleven
years subsequent. The rice industry of
the South was practically commenced
anew during this period, and if it had
any encouragement at all, it was in the
protection afforded by the import tax on
foreign rice. This was equivalent to giving
the home producers start of say 80 per
cent. ad ValOrem in the home
markets against the foreign grain delivered
duty paid. But even with this
advantage, while the prices glittered,
they were not necessarily profitable. The
crops were cultivated for many years at
extraordinary cost and at great hazard.
These embarTassments were diminished
in process of time, and meanwhile, as la
Dor became more efficient and less
costly and the consumption of rice in
creased, so the area of cultivation and
production expanded But at no time
since 1865 could rice have been cultivated
as staple product without the protection
afforded by the import duty on foreign
grain. 1t is certain that without discour-
agement the domestic production viii by
the expiration, of the present decade be
equal TO the amount in 1850, and will be
larger than will be demanded by the do
nestle consumption. This result will be
practically accomplished as soon as the
great labOr-saving machines of the recent
system of grain culture become modified
so as to be applied to the peculiar neces-
stiles of rice husbandry. Sin conclusion"
says the memorial, 1.-The facts relating
to the American rice industry for the past
sixteen years go to prove that it is an eX-
ample where the taxation of a foreign
product is sound policy if not the duty of
the government: First, for the preYen-
tiOn of monopoly in either the domestic
or foreign product to the advantage of the
domestic consumer as we'll as of the do
mestic product. Second, for the encOur-
agement and permanent establishment at
home of an industry necessary to afford
food and hospital supplies in time of war,
and so to promote national independence.
Third, because protective taxation has
been clearly educational to the domestic
product, practically developing it from
its infancy until it has reached the
promise of such successful permanence
as in reasonable time to become indee
pendent of protection"
MIR. NICHOLS WILL ALSO PRESENT A
MEMORIAL
from Col. John Screven, of Savannah. Off
cially representing the rice industry of
Georgia, praying that the present tariff
on rice be retained, with facts showing
the absolute necessity for such protection.
The following is a synopsis of Col. Scre-
81
commencement of the year, and the
planters should commence operations for
the new crop. The agitation of the tariff
is giving them such concern that there is
q general fear that their investments,
going back, in some instances, more than
a hundred years, will have to be aban-
dOned. Credit is seriously impaired, and
some of the most liberal bankers and fac
tors are calling in their loans, thus Grip
pling many and running some of the plant
ers. 1t is, therefore, important that it
should be known as soon as possible what
is intended to be done as to the duty on
rice. There is great fear that some
adverse measure may be sprung
in the Committee on WAYS and Means.
and the rice industry suffers there in the
very outset. Col. Screven gives facts de-
mOnstrating the reasons for this anxiety
and mIstrust. He refers to the increased
importation of Hawaiian Iice. Taking
advantage of the American market
duty free, the whole Hawaiian crop is
sold in the United States at an enormous
profit. The American rice industry under
the ruling Of the Treasury Department of
last summer is now labOring under COM
petition more severe than it has encoun-
tered under the old tariff, and further re-
ductiOn of the duty must bring absolute
ruin. The only advantage that American
rice now has over the foreign
product is that the former is commonly a
better article, which is due chiefly to su-
periOr cleaning. There is no reason WHY
our system of milling and cleaning should
not be adopted abroad and foreign rice be
made quite equal i'll quality to American.
Negro free labor cannot compete with the
cOOlie labor Of Asia. The wages of the
former are from six to ten times greater,
This alone is an ample answer to the
charge of excessive duty on rice. The duty
as it stands barely saves American rice
labor from starvation. and if this is not a
proper subject for incidental protection,
what can be?
memorial of the representatives of
the rice industry of Georgia will also be
presented tomorrow by Mr.. Nichols. 1t
is signed by James II. Johnston, President
of the Savannah Cotton Exchange, and
other representatives of the rice industry,
praying the abrOgation of the Hawaiian
reciprocity treaty. The memorial gives
facts and figures showing the undue and
unfair competition that the treaty guar
antees to Hawaiian rice with the native
product, and says; "These facts destroy
any proposition Ofsubstantial public bene-
tit now or hereafter derivable from the
reciprocity treaty, and we hold that no
class of American citizens should be in
jured, especially through such an instru-
mentality, and for objects of national
policy not wholly without objection, or
not compelled by national necessity. We
hold it, too, to be a great grievance that
indirect bOunties are those given to for
eign industries, and that we are forced by
law into an unjust and unnecessary con-
flict with Hawaiian producers. who, if
Americans, are Observation-Disclosures of
their own free Will, sharing none of the
burthens of the American Government,
ana owing it no allegiance. With the
same justice should reciprocity
treaties be established with other
foreign powers, because their
citizens have become citizens or residents
of the United States. We submit the FORE
going statements, assuring you that
they are rendered only after careful
investigation looking to the ascertainment
of unquestiOned facts; "We ask for them
your most serious consideration, feeling
that the welfare of many thousands Of
your constituents depends upon your
judgment and action"