Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-12
MORRIS0N'S TARIFF BILL.
THE COMMITTEE REPORTS 1T
FAVORABLY.

MUKKISUN ) IARIFF BILL,
THE COMMITTEE REPORTS 1T
FAVORABLY.
A Minority Report also Presented-The
Effect of the Proposed Reduction on
Wages as Seen from Both SIdes-The
Present Condition of Manufacturjae
with it's Causes.
WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE major
ity report from the Ways and Means Com
mittee upon the tariff bill to-day is as fol-
| lows
| The Committee on Ways and Means, to
! which was referred so much of the Presidents
message and accompanying documents as re-
lates to revenue, respectfully reports that in
| said message and accompanying documents
/ the President has deemed it his duty ia Give
TO Congress information as follows: ITO make
a start in the proposed reduction of revenue
/ from imports the Tariff Commission had
been created. In good faith it undertook the
work In Its report TO Congress it said:
| Early in its deliberations the Commission
became convinced that a substantial redue-
\ ton OF tariff duties Is demanded. not bv
mere indiscrimnate popular camor but by
the best conservative opinion of the country.
such reduction of the existing tariff, the
commission regards not only as due the recog-
milton of public sentiment and as a measure
of justice to consumers, but are conducive to
the general industrial PROSPERITY, and which,
though it may be temporarily inconvenient,
will be ultimately beneficial to the special in
Iefests anecteQ by such reduction. Entertain
ing these views the commission has sought to
present a scheme of tariff duties in which a
substantial reduction should be the distin-
gushing feature. The average reduction in
rates, including that from the enlarge
ments Of the free list and the abolition
OF duties on charges and comm ssOns
at which the commission has arrived, is not less
a nor ont midi Il, fE,,a
opinion of the commission that the reduction
will reach 25 per cent "
REDUCTION IN REvNUE.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Finance, in explanation of the bill before the
Senate last year, which, after various amend
ments, became a law, estimated at $4,000. 600
the reduction of revenue which would fol-
| low the changes in the tariff proposed thereby.
These calculations have not been verified. SO
the question still presses: What legislation is
necessary to relieve the people Of unnecessary
taxes? Your committee find that in the first
six months, ending December 81, 1888 under
the act of March 3, 1888, new law.
dutiable merchandise was imported
into the United States valued
at S235, ,S9S, 1903, on which duties were paid
amounting to S96,5l4, 1876, being 40.94-l00 per
cent on the value thereof. In the correspond
ing six months Of the year 1882 under the old
law the value of dutiable exports amounted
to $3.50, ,S56273 and the duty paid was $l1l, ,266,-
5O1 or 1903 per cent on the value. 1t thus ap-
pears that the average cost of importing
goods valued at 500 was only l74-100 per cent.
less under the new than under the old law
This exhibit of reduction in rates made Inv
the act OF March 3, 1888, amounting to ia 100
per cent. of the duty is subject to an un-
important modification resulting from changes
in value and other conditions, some of which
increase and others reduce the comparative
ad valOrem rates.
A REDUCTION OF 20 PER CENT
The nominal reduction made by the pro-
posed bill Is % per cent, or one-ffth of the
ha 90 H..
tions in the bill, and liquor and silk schedules
omitted, as they are. the actual reduction on
the basis OF last years imports will not exceed
l5.4 per cent. on the whole Importation of
dutiable goods Together the average rednc
tion made in the Tariff Commission bill (act Of
March 3, 1883, and that to be made bv the
proposed blll' do not equal the reduction at
which the commission aimed. Wood, sawed
lumber, coal and salt are of such
universal use among us, and so necessary to
all the people, that in view of the present
abundant treasury receipts it is not deemed
advisable longer to obtain revenue from the
tax on these articles.
WHENCE THE DECREASE COMES
The decrease IN revenue, as shown by the
receipts under the new law other than that
resulting from the nominal reduction Of ia
100 per cent, results from falling Off TO the
value of nearly S25,00000O of imports in the
first half of the year, under the new law, as
year under the old law. The reduction of
revenue receipts under the hin
reported is estimated at LOCO 600
on the basis of last wears imnorts
To the extent of that $4,000 900 the bill will
relieve the people of unnecessary taxes. To
that extent taxes will be reduced directly as
measure of justice to the consumers and
indirectly in largely increased proportions
From a statement made by the, Bureau OF
statistics, a copy of which is appended to tbis
report, 1t appears that the duty or tariff taxes
were decreased on some and increased ON
other articles of imported goods under tbe
act of March last new law. While this Is
true, there has been no increase of rates of
wages IN any, but reduction of wages i'm
most industries, as well in those whose COM
peting products received more as in those
that obtained less protection under the act Of
March last.
MANUFACTURING NOT IN GOOD CoNDIT1oN.
The condition of manufacturing industries
Is not satisfactory. In common with otbe9
industries they only recovered late in 1870
from the reversed or partial paralysis of five
years duration. In less than three wears
alJef inns recovery such new evidences of in
dustIIal adVerslty appeared that in one of the
largest, best paying and best paid industries
IRON ana steel-a calamity of four months
stOppaSes and 1dleness fell upon the workers
dependent upon it, not upon the capital
invested IN It, In the annual report OF the
American Iron and Steel Association for the
year 1882, made May I, 1888. by James NJ
SWank, secretary of the association he savs.
"At the beginning of June nearly all mills
referred to (rolling mills of Pittsburg and the
Westl were closed by a general strike, which
was resumed upon the scale of wages which
had previously prevailed"
EFFECTS OF PROTECTION.
During the strike Of four months the Drices
OF rolled IRON did not advance, nOtwithstand-
ing the stoppage of so many mills a fact
which clearly demonstrated that the ca
paclty to produce this form of iron
1ad 1ad again, as IN panic years, exceeded the
demand AT the same time it must be frankly
admitted that our rolling mill caDacitv has
for some time been in advance of the con-
sumptlve wants of the country, and that the
check to the oVerprOductiOn of rolled iron
which was afforded by the strike of 1889 was
IN no sense calamity to manufacturers. ii
Is beleyed that the condition of the iron and
steel industries and of the workers in them
has not much changed since 1882: that the
condition of other Industries Is not unlike.
ana differs only in degree from iron
and steel; that the calamity of frenuant
recurring industrial embarrassment and en-
force ldleness IS inseparable from the enOr-
mites OF our protected system and that the
calahlues OF such system always fall upon
the laDorlng poor. our committee therefore
report a biz to reduce the import duties and
war tarl1 taxes, with a recommendation that
" be passed as measure of partial relief to
the people from unnecessary taxes s.as a
measure Of justice to consumers" and con
ducive to general industrial prosperity"
THE MINORITY REPORT.
The minority report was prepared by
MIR. Mckinley, of Ohio. After an intro
duction giving the history of tariff legis-
lation since 1864, in which it SAYS that not
g single interest in the United States. ex-
cepting the free-trade clubs of New York
and Brooklyn, has asked for the present
tariff bill, but that, on the contrary,
many interests have asked for an increase
OF duties-notably the wool growers-the
minority say:
While we do not believe it proper at this
time to enter upon a fresh revision of the
tarlH, there are some irregularities found in
the present law which it would be only lust
to correct. Among these wire rods cotton
ties and TIN plates bear greatly disprOportion-
ate duties to kindred articles, and should be
made consistent and harmonious. In addi-
ton to the foregoing we are opposed to the
bill because
First. 1t will disturb business. discussion
OF it in the committee has already done thisl
1t will unsettle values, retard incipient en-
terprlses, cripple those now established i'm
pair confidence among business men, so es-
sential to our development and prosperity.
and bring no cOuntervailing benefits.
AN ALLEGED EFFECT ON LABOR.
Second. 1t will of necessity force down the
price of labor in the United States. 1t viii
stimulate imports, inc rease competition from
abroad, which can only be successfully met bv
reducing the cost of home product. The testi-
mOny is uniform. and not cOntradicted that
labor will be compelled to submit to large
share OF the reduction. Mr.. VIM. Welhe the