The Portland daily press., 1886-04-12
rINKERINc THE TARIFF.
TWO Reports to Accompany the In
PRODUCTION of the Bill Today.
The Free List Denounced by the Mi
nority as an Assault Upon our
Agricultural interests.

WASHINGTON April 10.-Chairman Morrison
and Mr.. Hewitt, of the committee on ways ana
means have completed the report of the majority
of that committee, to accompany the tarin Dill,
which will be reported to the House tomorrow.
The report says
The rate of duty on imported goods subject to
duty Is as low as on some and higher than 200
per cent on others. The average rate for the hs-
cal year of 1885 little exceeded Al per cent,
and this Is the highest rate paid in any year since
cd from 1852 to 1868. The treasury receipts for
the fiscal year 1886 were $313, go ,7o6. The in
creased receipts from customs and internal taxes,
the principal sources of revenue, for the months
of the fiscal year Of 1886 already passed, over
the receipts of the same months of last year. JUS
fiscal year will exceed 1886, 90 900. The expen-
ditures for the fiscal year of 1885. Including pen
sions and Legal requirements OF the public debt,
from the proposed bill slightly exceed S24,OOo,00O
on the basis OF last years importations.
Reference is made to secretary Mannlngs
touching the i'll effects of the maintenance of war
duties pointing out the inequalities In the present
law and fayoring the admission, free OF duty, of
raw materials, of which the report says;
These views are in accord with the views prese-
ed on Congress by his predecessors, Secretaries
be removed by the bill are chiefly those which tax
articles used by our own manufacturers, that they
may successfully compete, both at home and
nse such materials. 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 from
the tax on imported wood an amount estimated at
less than 2O.o0o,o00, to encourage telling our
trees and destroying our forests, and in much
shorter period we have given more than 30 OOO,-
900 acres of land in bounty to encourage the
planting of other trees.
The tax on imported salt Is remitted to those
who catch and trade in fish and those who pack
meats for foreign market. 1t is believed this tax
should be remitted to all.
After century of failure to make hemp either
aprofitable crop or successful industry through
protective taxation, further efforts should be
abandoned The annual tax on imported hemp
manila and similar fbres is several times greater
than the annual value of all the hemp raised In
the United States. This tax is burden alike
upon the manufacturer and consumer OF such
articles and ought to be removed
When at the beginning a revenue was 1ound
necessary to our national existence wool with
years past the rate on imported WOOL mas Deen
more than double that imposed on other products
of the pasture, field and farm The price OF wool
clined whom the tax was highest and protect ton
greatest. From statements OF the Ohio and other
wool growers associations 1t appears that the
market price of wool is not three-fourths of the
actual cost OF production and that with the ex-
listing. protective rate OF 10 cents on pound the
price is still cents below the price at which it
can be proftably grown. 1t has been already
shown by statements of wool growers that the
Wool duly imposed Dy & seno, "a
did not promote the growth of sheep husbandry
and 1t is proposed to remove it. For the last year
this duty on imported wool was S3, l64, ,295.
''The specific duty imposed on woolen goods"
says General Garfield, Creating OF the tariff COM
mission scheme) 'sas near as possible equaie,a s,o
manufacture. and was $11, o,O0u" This with
the So, 1874 295 equivalent duty is to be removed,
and the duty of 35 per centum ad valorem on
against foreign competition remains and will yield
the needed revenue.
proposed to be reduced, especially woolen and
fax hemp, jute or linens industries are left with
the not ss
rates on which are so to be reduced, as
cotton yarns, thread, coarser cotton cloths
aeeessariy e and fe unressonaby eM a0 high rates
These will find compensation in the burdens of
taxation sought to be removed for reductions far
from duties on cotton goods sic, 100000. The
rates on goods rom which wecollect $2.10o0oo
Of these $40, 800 900 are slightly reduced, While
900 are unchanged.
Sugar with the present low price is left at high
but still revenue rate equivalent to Sc per cent
At the present higher rate we collect on sugar
more than one fourth OF all the revenue derived
from customs
able scale of current ordinary expenditures, and
one hall of the money obligations OF the late civil
war yet to be paid higher rate Of taxation ion must
posed bill, affecting the cost OF shelter In part
of the food and of all the clothing of the people,
it has been the effort of your committee to adopt
such rates of taxation as will be permanent and
as will only need to be disturbed by an unforeseen
national emergency, and at the same time to ex-
empt unnecessary articles from taxation and
thereby promote domestic industries.
The provision has been inserted for an allow
ance OF drawbacks to the full extent OF the duty
paid upon any imported materials which have en-
tered into the production of articles exported The
object of this provision is to remove an imped-
ment to the growth of our foreign commerce.. AL
ready to a considerable extent we are able to
compete with ether nations in consequence of
the superior advantages i'll some particulars pos
Sessed by this country; but so long as we impose
taxes upon raw materials we cannot hope to es-
tablish a market for our commodities and compe-
titon with nations possessing the great adyan "a
drawback system which can do no injury to any
domestic interest, partial remedy Is afforded in
maintain foreign trade otherwise rendered impos-
sible by our customs laws. The underlying con-
sderation with the committee in formulating the
as to drawbacks upon exports has been to enlarge
so far as possible, the area for the employ
ment Of our own labor and capital and to make
useful the natural resources OF the country In Its
products and geographical position so as TO aid
in the maintenance of our shipping interest now
and for some years past in state of depression
and decay. The INST important matter dealt
with in this portion of the bill is that which
relates to the duties upon coverings and
Bile protests, many thousands of suits and OF par
tial adjudication in the supreme court In order
to relieve both merchants and customs officers
from annoying exactions and unnecessary labor,
is proposed to abolish all oathS and fees and to
substitute in lieu thereof, as in other commercial
countries, declarations OF the importer. but pre-
serving the same penalties as are now imposed by
law for false statements
A limitation of $500 has been imposed upon the
value of wearing apparel and other property which
may be brought in free of duty by a passenger,
excepting tourists arriving in the United States
from abroad. This provision. taken In connection
with proposed section making it crime either
to give or receive any money for the passage of
lieVed, bring to an end great abuse in regard to
excessive amounts of baggage brought in free in
competition with merchandise OF importers who
have to pay duties.
The Minority Report.
The report of the Republican minority which
has been prepared by Representative Mckinley
of Ohio, begins with the statement that the sub
stitute agreed upon ny the majority is a new Gre
alton and embodes little matter that was includ-
ed in the original bill as introduced by the chair
man. After reciting in detail the various arti-
cles-wooi, fish, timber, hemps and like fbres
and salt which it is proposed to place upon the
free list and reductions to be made in manufac-
tured goods the minority report says:
The majority assert that in the year 1885 the
average of duty upon imported goods little ex-
ceeded At per cent, but this only means that the
prices and values were unusually low and furnish
Justification for this bill. What the average
ad valorem rate OF duty will be under our tar
if laws if amended by this bill is left to conjec-
ture, for the majority report does not disclose
even an estimate but whether it will be higher or
lower than at present will depend upon values.
To base reduction of tariff duties upon the pres
ent business condition and present low values
and Improbable prices, is to assume that the
present unsatisfactory condition is to continue
and ought to.
The majority reports rate of duty on imported
goods subject to duty is as low as 5 on some and