New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-05
MORRISON'S TARIFF BILL.
A GLANCE AT IT'S PROVISIONS.
BOW 1T WOULD AFFECT THE LEADING INDUSTRIES
OF THE COUNTRY.

his
tariff bill offered by him had been read and re-
torred 70 his committee, his countenance bright
med visibly. and during the remainder of the day
he talked freely about the measure. Arrangements
we're at once made by him and Mr.. Hewitt TO have
the Treasury experts cipher out the schedules so as
"a show in parallel columns the present rate OF duty
on each article, the amount OF revenue derlVea
therefrom, the rate proposed by the new
hill. and the rate according TO the
act of March 2, 1861. Colonel Morrison
does not expect that the Committee will begin the
consideration of the bill until next week. lie sald
TODAY that he estimated the reduction proposed by
the bill as il now stands at fraction under IL per
cent on the entire list. This estimate may or may
not be boone out by careful computations Inc
only schedules which escape are liquors and silk
and silk goods.
WHAT THE BILL REALLY MEANS.
The bill NAV Justly be described as one to destroy
the salt industry of the United States TO wipe ont
the American pottery industry; to demohsh I'M
portant manufactures Of glass; to destroy the lead
and copper mining industries to reduce inc
wages of coal miners and iron mlneiS'
as well as the wages OF operatives
in cotton and woollen mills iron furnaces and roll
ing mills and in nearly every other branch OF iron
and steel manufactures 10 oppress the rlce-gro"ers
of South Carolina and Georgia; TO depress inc
wages of laborers on the sugar plantations ana IN
the sugar mills of Louisiana, and to eliminate
yooi-uowing from the list OF productive
industries in the United States. 1t provides that
the reduction of 20 per cent shall apply to SALT to
pnnolisbed ovllnder, crown and common window,
and to unsilvered, polished plate-glass exceeding
twentv-four by sixty inches in size, whether OF not
such reduction carries the rate below the rate I'M
posed by the tariff of March 1861 In other cases no
rate is to be reduced below the rate imposed by
that act, which Colonel Morrison takes care to de-
scribe as the Morrill, tariff"
SOME COMPARISONS.
The bill from which that act was produced was
introduced in March. 1860. long months before the
mutterings of civil war were heard, and
il became law before Abraham Lincoln
was inaugurated President; it replaced
the free trade tariff of 1857 under which the Gov
ernment had plunged into bankruptcy in time of
peace The act of 1861 imposed an average rate OF
about per cent Un the entire importations and
Colonel Morrison says he does not for the present
propose to go below that rate, except upon
The articles before mentioned. He does
90 further, however, on some items.
Jute butts for example. put on the free list.
The act of March imposed duty of 80 per ton,
which is the present rate-the last Congress having
reduce the duty 10 % per cent Bltuminous coal
and shale also go the free list. whereas in 1861
the duty was 81 per ton and the present rate
is only 70 cents per ton. The present
rate on coal stock or culm is 30 cents per ton; III
1861 the rate was 35 per cent ad valorem, and in
1916 80 per cent ad valorem. This bill pats it on
the free list Brstles also 60 to the free lstj In
1916 the rate was per cent ad valorem. and In
1861. 4 cents per pound. Among the other articles
which the bill sends to the free list are ores Oh
iron, lead, copper and nickel. In 1861 the rate on
copper ore was per cent ad valorem and the rate
on lime 10 per cent. The latter now goes to the
free list as also do sponges, which the rate was
10 per cent in 1851.
REDUCTIONS N SCHEDULE A.
Among the reductions proposed in Schedule A
sheamcal products-are soda ash, from TO Is ofla
cent per mound. upon which duties to the amount of
S6Gs 127 were collected IN 1882; soda caustic
from 1 cent to 10 cent per pound, on which
Ss53. SO in duties was paid in 1882; coal tar
eolors or dyes from 80 per cent ad valoTem to %
per cent ad valOrem, on which duties amounting
TO 81, ,O47 ,44O were paid in 1882.
The last Congress reduced the duty Onthese c0lOrs
from so cents per pound plus 10 per cent ad va
loren, and reduced the duty on caustic soda from
10 cents TO cent per pound. If this bill carrier
The total reduction the latter article III one year
will amount to nearly ~ per cent; nt;.,..,.--..- -
ercised i'm It's preparation better displayed than in
the item of "Opum prepared for smoking" lms
IL an article upon which high rate OF duty has
ALWAYS
portat0n, and when the last Congress mcreasedthe
from $40 per pound no objection was raised
BY anybody The new G Sa6 ba 5e yes egtE S
an unconscious horizontal flourish but it neatly L.
lustrates the utility OF horizontal meth0ds IN taTn
lerislation The 20 per cent cut reduces the rate
on decorated china, porcelain, etc. from go per
cent to II per cent and on PLAIN china, earthen-
ware, ETC., from 80 per cent TO "a per cent. lhe
amount of duties collected on these articles, re-
spectiyey, in 1882, was 81 ,037S53 and 81 1921
DEALING WITH THE METAL SCHEDULE.
The bill contains provisO that no duty in the
metals schedule shall exceed 90 per cent ad valO-
rem or its equivalent. The rate steel rails Is
reduced from SIT to $13 go per ton; should the
price fall below 1927 go per ton, therefore the rate
would be reduced still lower. The amount of duties
collected in 1882 was $5,42O,292. Iron in pigs
scrap rOn etc. cannot suffer the 70 per cent reduc-
ton unless the price fall below ~ per ton, for
the present rate of duty is only S6 ~ per ton and
the rate under the act of March 2, 1861, was S6.
TIE duties collected III 1882 amounted 10
1875 $50.
The duty on bleached cotton goods is reduced
from 3l2 cents to $40 per square yard, with a
prOviso, covering the entire schedule OF cot
ton and cotton goods that no rate stall
exceed 40 per cent ad valOTem or It's equivalent.
The rate on cotton goods, dyed, cOlored, printed,
etc, is reduced from D cents to ! cents per yard;
the duties collected in 1882 amounted to $780,,
692 The rate on cotton hose, stockings, laces,
brolderles, etc. is reduced from 40 per cent to 80
per cent; tie amount of duties collected in 1882
was more than $4,000 900 The rate on brown
and bleached linens etc. which was reduced last
gear from 30 per cent and 40 per cent TO 35 per
cent IS still further diminished TO % per cent The
duties collected IN 1882 amounted to So, ,239 go
WOOL AND wooLLRN GOODS.
The framer of the bill was deaf TO the CRY of the
Democratic party in Ohio for restoration of the
former rates on wool. The duties are to be still
further reduced from 10 and - cents per pound
to cents and 8 6-IO cents, respectively
on woods of the first and second classes:
while the low grade woods, which now
pay 2l2 cents and cents respectively, are cut
down to 2 and cents per pound. The duties on
these three grades in 1852 exceeded $3,55OO00;
WOoen goods to meet the same fate. All