Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-05-13
Tariff Thinkers.


The San Francisco Bulletin in an
issue OF recent date publishes an at
tack on the Mills tariff bill, based on
the failure OF VIM. T. Coleman & Co.,
which is alleged to have been brought
about by this proposed legislation in
that it broke up pending sale of the
borax business OF the house. As to
the action Of the bill in this respect,
we fail to see how it can reasonably
be attacked, The con pany had been
selling borax at six and one-half
cents per pound. The tax is
three cents per pound. Before
the manufacture OF this commodity
from the vast deposits found in this
State and Nevada. we are told the
imported article cost twenty-five cents
per pound. In the face of these facts
1t is utterly absurd to say that any tax
on imported borax is needed, or that
the tax cuts any figure in the price OF
it. Take off the impost of three cents
per pound, and we reduce the price
10 three and half cents. Does any
one assert that it can be imported and
sold at any such price? If
1t can, then the Coleman Com
pany has been making a
profit OF one hundred per cent. more
than fair one out OF the
people. AS. there are some half dozen
men interested in this industry, it is
a monopoly, and thus by the showing
OF the High Protection people, is
neither deserving nor needing any
great protection. We say this with
no lack of sympathy with Mr.. Cole
man and his associates. 1T is simple
matter of justice between them and
the sixty million people in til,
Union.
From borax the Bulletin goes on to
discuss other interests of the coast
which it claims will be ruined by
removal Of the tax as proposed by the
Mills bill. In the free list our es-
teemed contemporary puts lemons and
oranges. Now, it may seem unchari-
table to say that we very much sus-
pect the Bulletin when it printed these
two items knew it was giving publicity
to gross false hood. This judgment
is based upon similar state
ments want only rnendacious which
appear from time to time in the edi-
torial columns Of that journal. We
do not dare to think the editor of the
Bulletin is SO densely ignorant of cur
rent facts Of so important nature. 1t
does seem as If he wantonly made
statements which he knows to be
false.
= Again, our metropolitan contempo-
rary sets up moan about the putting
OF lumber on the free list. Now, if
there is necessary and beneficial
feature in the Mills bill, it is in this
S@st'S Va thS tdA VII lum DER IN
it's various forms. We will take our
own case here in this part of the
State. Redwood lumber is not af-
fected by the proposed change, for the
reason that it grows nowhere outside
OF this State. The belt reaches from
Monterey to Humboldt bay, and is
confined almost exclusively to the
coast counties. The removal of the
import duty would touch most in
timately the lumber of the coast, |
which is known as "Oregon pine.
1t is in reality fir, of coarse fibre.
but very strong. 1t is uset.
mostly in the framework of buildings.
Here is about the prices charged foi
this class of lumber in its various
stages OF manufacture: Cost of the
logs at the mills, 81; saving, 81
profit to the mills, 50; ships charges
to San Pedro, So; lighteriDg, railroad
charges and switching to Los Angeles
twenty miles-$5; cost of handling