The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-04-13
THE TARIFF.
The Majority Report on the
Proposed Bill.
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES
The Reductions to Result from the
Bill are TO Little Exceed
S24,Ooo,oOo.
Tarin Bill.


WASHINGTON, Aprll IL. - Chairman
Morrison and Mr.. Hewitt, OF the com
mittee on ways and means, completed
the report Of the majority of that ccm-
mittee to accompany the tariff bill.
which will be reported to the House to-
morrow. Following are the principal
features OF the report: The rate. duty
or tax on imported goods subject to
duty, is as low as on some and higher
than 200 per cent. on others. The aver
age rate for the fiscal year. 1885, little
exceeded AZ per cent, or S4I OF tax on
$IOO worth of imported goods. This is
the highest rate paid in any year since
S6S, and above the average rate of the
war period from 1862 to 1865.
After quotations from the messages
of Presidents Arthur and Cleveland.
setting forth the necessity of a tariff
revision, the report continues: THE
Treasury receipts for the fiscal year
/ 1885 were 1898, $50, 706 Sc, increased re-
ceipts from customs and internal taxes.
principal sources of revenue for months
of the fiscal year of 1886 already past
over receipts of the same months of last
wear Justify the estimate that the re-
ce' pts for the present fiscal year will ex-
coed 1886, 600 GOO; nor may our annual
Treasury receipts be expected again to
fall below that sum without reduced
taxation, inasmuch as these receipts
result chiefly from taxes on arti-
cles of necessity and comfort to be con-
sumed in continually increasing quaint
ties with our ever growing pop
ulation. The expenditures for the
fiscal year 1885, including pensions
and legal requirements of the public
debt were $305, $50 970.54. Neither the
actual needs of an economical admins
tration of government, nor the patri-
otto expectations of the people justify
any increase Of this enormous annual
expenditure; and We may safely esti-
mate the annual surplus to exceed
$50. OO0, coo. The reductions to result
from the proposed bill are within this
estimated surplus and little exceed
SA ,OO0. 900, on the basis of last years
importations. Reference is made to
Secretary Manning's views as expressed
in his first annual report touching the
.ll-effects of maintenance of war duties;
pointing out inequalities in the present
law Snd favoring the admission, free of
duty, of raw materials of which the re-
port says:
These views of Secretary Manning as
to the existing condition Of casioms
service and tariff taxation are not par
tisan, but are in accordance with the
views pressed on Congress by his pre-
decessors. Secretary FOlger and McCul-
Tough. II Is the purpose of the bill re-
ported to correct some of the classifica-
tons rid custom laws of the complica-
tons of which the Secretary complains,
and so change these laws for the better,
that they will be capable Of being adj
ministered with impsrliality TO al ou-
uerchants. Some Of the materials upon
which great industries are built, such as
wood, salt, hemp and wool are placed on
the free list. In the past twenty years
we have obtained froIa the tax
on imported wood an amount
estimated at less than $50 600 600 to en-
courage telling our trees and destroying
our forests. Ia a much shorter period
We have given more than IS. 900 coo
acres of land in bounty TO encourage
planting of other trees. Tax on I'm
ported salt is RENTED TO those who
catch and trade in fish, and to those who
pack meats for foreign markets. It is
believed this tax should be RENTED TO
all. After century of failure to make
hemp either a profitable crop or sue
eeSsful industry through protective
taxation, further efforts should be
abandoned.
When. at the beginning revenue was
found necessary TO our national exist
ence. wool, with everything Imported,
was taxed. From then until now some
qualities Of wool paid some rate
duty. For many years past the
rate on imported wool has been
more than double that imposed
on other products of pasture,
field al d farm These other lower tax
protected products nave outrun or kept !
far in advance of the wondrous growth |
OF our population. Wool, protected /
double as much, has fallen farther be- |
hind. Wool finds its market at home and !
its price is increased by tax, part of |
the burden of which must be borne by /
the grower of other farm products |
whose surplus in foreign markets fixes |
his price at home, and TO increase which |
his wOol-sroving neighbor contributes |
nothing. The price of wool has been /
downward Tor many years, it declined /
when the tax was the highest and pro- |
lection greatest. 1t appears therefore |
that the attempt to make wool growing
profitable by the use of the taxing power /
has not been successful, while the tax |
has been the great national hindrance 1
to-woOlen manufacturing industry as
well as = most grIeyous burden upon all 1
buyers OF wooden clothing. 1t has been
shown by statements Of wool growers
that the wool cuty imposed By Gen
eral Garfield's associates and successors
and that school OF economists did pro-
mote the growth of sheep husbandry.
and il is proposed to remove il. For the /
last year this duty on imported wool /
was $, lG4, 1856. The special duty i'm
posed on wooden goods, says General /
Garfield Creating OF the tariff commits /
sion Scheme) -as near as possible, should /
be equal to the duty put upon wool
which entered into the manufacture
which was SI1, 800 900. This, with IS
Isl, So equivalent duty. is to be re-
and q duty of IS per centum
adj ral0reBl on wooden goods as protec-
ton TO the manufacturers against for
eign competition remains, and will vet
be needed revenue. Other articles. rates !
on which are 70 be so reduced. \
Is cotton, yarn. threads, anu \
cOarseT cotton cloths, and sugar
are now dntiable at unnecessarily \
and unreasOnably high rates. These
viii find compensation IN the burdens !
)f taxation sought 10 be removed for re-