The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-08-03
English View Of Mills Bill.
THE LONDON ''DAiLY NEWS" FEARS. TAR
IFF REDUCTION.

IFF REDUCTION.
The London Daily Necs contains
the following editorial:
"The Mills tariff bill, which has Just
been passed by the American house of
representative by 1852 votes against
149, clearly removes the tariff issue in
the United States from the stage Of
rhetoric and abstract platitudes and
boldly places before the voters the COM
pleted measure upon which the demo-
cratic party takes issue in the campaign.
But it has been the habit Of the repub-
licans TO doride every attempt of the
democrats at a reform of the tariff as
free trade measure. 1t is their way
of giving a dog a bad name They
have employed most speoious pleadings
to convince the workingmen that the
president, as well as the majority of
congress, led by Mr.. Mills, have at
tempted reform in the interest of the
British free traders, and that the bill
under consideration if passed would
swamp the industries of the United
States.
"The president has, however, EN-.
phatically protested against the attempt
to brand those who seek to correct the
evils of the existing system of the rabid
protectionism as 'iree traders and enc
mics of our workingmen and industrial
enterprises. Whether English free
traders aud manufacturers have reason
to congratulate or expect an increase
of trade with the United States from
the ultimate enactment of the Mills
bill is question of grave doubt.
scRUTINIzING THE BILL.
"An examination of the bill seems
to show that, if anything, while reduc-
ing the taxation, it is more protect
ionist measure than the law which it is
intended to supersede. The present
American tariff is war tariff, and it
was based on the necessity of taxing
all and every commodity that could
possibly be taxed. Many Of it's pro-
visions are due to the fact that the in
land duties had to be compensated by
an equivalent upon import duties,
These iuland duties have long been re-
moved, while all the equivalent import
duties have remained. Thus in point
of fact the tariff, beside being practic-
ally higher now than at its highest be-
fore, is absolutely increased in its pro-
tective features by this removal of the
equivalent inland duties.
. u. THE WOOL TARIFF.
"The bill now before the senate con-
templates lowering the possible cost of
production by the removal, while leav-
ing all duties on manufactures almost
intact, of the tariff on wool. For in
stance, the duty is 10 cents per pound
on greasy wool, and on woolen cloth
made of this class of wool it is 35
cents per pound and 35 per cent. ad
| valorem. 1t takes from three to four
pounds of greasy wool to make pound
of finished cloth, with the additional
freight and expense. due to the fact
that almost all the colonial woods are
shipped to the United States from
London and Liverpool. The American
wool manufacturer has to pay from III
/ TO III cents more for his wool than his
British competitor. In cloth this
amounts to as much rs from 33 to as
cents more than the English cost.
Whatever it costs over and above 35
cents to get wool to the American
manufacturer has to be made good by
an ad valorem duty of 35 per cent.
FOREIGN wooLENs.
"This frequently is the case in q
number of competing importations OF
foreign woolens, and it explains the
large imports under the present Ameri
can tariff of foreign made wooler
goods. Now, the Mills bill gives the
American manufacturer free wool, and
either free or largely reduced chemicals
and dye-stuffs and places a protective
duty At 40 per cent ad valorem-a cleal
raising of the protective provision o.
from one third to one-half its presen
rate. Besides this, while in worsted
the duties were graded according u
value from 20 cents per pound to Al
cents per pound, the bill makes tn
duties on all wooleDs and worsted
equally 10 per cent. In cottons yer,
slight changes are made and the re
duction in the linen schedule is ais
balanced ly freezing raw materia
which strange to say, had to pay dutie
, from L to 121 per cent. although hard
ly pound of fax is grown in tn
United States for the purpose of manu-
facture. The fibres used in manufac
turing are imported. The flax grow
is raised for the seeds and not for fibr'
THE METAL SCHEDULE.
"The metal schedule shows sma
, changes only except in steel rail-
, where the duty ST ST per ton is re
| duced to $l1 per ton. But even no'
under the present tariff the differenc
q between the price of steel rails in Liv
e erpool and Philadelphia is not NOR
: than So or 80, and this in face of til
t fact that the pig iron and spiegleise
e used in a ton of rails costs the Amer
!. can manufacturer at least 81 more tina
: the English rail producers have to pa.
n "Mr. Schoenhof, American couns
e at Tunstall, has lately made inquire
n into the cost of production in EnglaI
t and America. The result of his il
IS quiries are now publishing by the d
n partment of state. If any proofs wei
d needed to convince the world OF Il
y ability of the American manufactur
TO take care of himself, if on an equ
ii footing so far as his material is co
d cerned, Mr.. Schoenhof's carefully &C
i, | lected data would supply them