Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-05-30
The Tariff on Cotton.

Lho al III VI OVbVVhs
The existing rates of duty on cottoI
goods are among the chief causes o
the decline of our commerce. If W,
cannot manufacture cotton goods fol
the world, in what can we compel,
with foreign manufacturers E? W.
have the raw cotton at the doors o
our mills. and we have thu
best machinery in the world Ever
in British mills American machines
are the standard, and contracts with
British machine shops sometimes con
tain the condition that the machinery
shall be up to the American standard
And yet this country does not begin
to do its share of the cotton good:
trade Of the world, because our man.
ufacturers do not want a foreign
market. They prefer to sell their
goods to the home consumers at the
high price which the tariff permits
them to charge.
The Mills bill proposes a reduction
of the rates on the cheaper grades OF
cotton cloths and on yarns which are
made at the Southern mills. The
fall in price which would follow this
reduction of rates would be a great
benefit to the manufacturers, for it
would compel them to compete with
their foreign rivals for the markets of
the world and there can be no doubt
that they would soon control trade
that has heretofore been monopolized
by the British spinners. The explo-
sion of the falacy that a small mark
ct and big profits are more advantage
eous than a large market and small
profits, would very speedily be follow
ed by beneficial results.
In reducing the price of cottons
care has been taken to lower the price
on the goods that are used by persons
of moderate means and OH those that
are most largely produced in this
country.
There are now eight classifcations
of cotton yarns, threads and warps, ar
ranged according to their value. The
Mills bill makes two classes, arranged
in the same manner. The first is
composed of yarns, etc, valued at not
more than 40 cents per pound. The
second is composed Of those valued at
more than 40 cents. On the first the
rate is 80 per cent on the second it
is 40 per cent. At present the aver
age rate on yarns worth not more
than 40 cents is little over AZ per
cent. On higher priced yarns it
ranges from As to SO per cent. With
cheap yarns at this price, the South
ern mills can compete with the world,
while the cloths spun from the cheap
yarns will be lowered.
The duty on cotton cloth is fixed at
40 per cent. by the Mills bill. Let
us see who will be benefited by this.
Forty per cent. is the lowest rate col
lected on imported cotton cloth. 1t
is charged on unbleached goods worth
10 cents yard, on bleached cloth
worth 13 cents, on prints worth 16
cents. All these are cloths contain
ing not more than 200 threads to the
square inch On goods containing
more than 200 threads to the square
inch there is 40 per cent tax on un-
bleached goods worth IA cents
square yard, on unbleached goods
worth Is cents and on prints worth
10 cents. The rates on cheaper goods
are much higher than those on the
expensive goods. On unbleached
goods worth 5 cents n yard, if not
containing more than 100 threads to
the square inch, the present rate is 40
per cent. on bleached goods Of the
same price the rate is rs per cent
prints worth 6 cents pay 70 per cent
on goods having from 100 to 200
threads to the square inch the rates
range from 40 to Sc per cent.
This presents the scheme of changes
made in the duties on cotton goods.
1t is an illustration, too, of the spirit
which has governed the makers
of the bill throughout their labors.
The reductions have been made on
the goods that are absolute necessities.
The luxuries, even in the humble
schedules, like cottons, are not touch
ed. The bill is designed to relieve
the persons who actually suffer from
tariff taxation, and to enable the
manufacturers to take their proper
place in the commerce of the world.
N. Y. Star.