The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-11
DEBATING THE MILLSBILL
THE RICE ASSOCIATION AND THE
DEFINING CLAUSE.

mated From the Bill-His Intellectual
Effort to Convert the Savannah Rice
Men to His Views-His Claim That it
Costs 75c. Per Hundred to Mill
Unclean Rice While the Association
Says it Costs Less Than 6l4c.-Mr.
Talnage Charges Bad Faith and
Inconsistency, and Tells Some Tales
Out of School About the High Tariff
He Intimates That the Planters
Want the Earth.
The Georgia Rice Association held a meet
ing at Mr. Frank Buchanan's office yester-
dav afternoon, called by the President Col
J. H. NJ Clinch at the instance of Mr.
Dan Talmage, of New York, of the firm of
Dan Talmages Sons. The object of the
meeting was to get the rice planters, milers
and rice merchants to withdraw their sup
port from the defining clause of the Mills
tariff bill
Mr.. Talmage addressed the meeting for
an hour or more. The association heard
him very patiently and without attempting
to combat his views. At the conclusion of
MS remarks, and after he had retired from
the room, the members discussed the
UldlucI NSI1 lulN anu ucNliIlGl W SJsillu bJ
the defining clause as being essential to the
protection not only Of the planters, but the
rice dealers and mlllers.
COL. CLINCH's POSITION.
President Clinch, in an interview with a
MORNING NEWS reporter last night said
that the defining clause was incorporated
III the Mills tariff bill at the instance of
the Georgia Rice Association and the rice
men of New Orleans and South Carolina.
l.
being imported into the United States, such
as was brought here by the bark los, is in
reality clean rice, upon which meal had
been sprinkled so that it would pass as un-
clean. The association did not coincide
with Mr.. Talmage's statement that it cost
75c. per 100 pounds to mill this rice, thereby
bringing its price up to the price of clean
rice imported into this country. In other
words the tariff ON the so-called uncleau
rice such as had been brought here by the
bark Hos was not relatively as high as the
tariff on clean rice.
President Clinch said that he had asked
and had obtained from the three rice mills
here on Tuesday of last week statement of
the cost of milling this rice, and these
statements while separately obtained, and
without the knowledge of either mill that
estimates had been asked of the others they
agreed that the cost of milling was less
than 1-l6c. per pound or about l6c. per hun
dred pounds.
THE COST CT MILLING.
This information he laid before the as
ISOLATION. 1t was to save this difference in
the tariff that led TO the increasing imports
of the so-called unclean rice which is not
only avoiding its relative share of the tariff
but is depreciating to that extent the value
of American grown rice
1t was this which alarmed the planters
and it was necessary to have more rigid
requirement than the present tariff laws
afford TO prevent the further importation
of such rice without it pays its relative pro-
portion of the tariff. Col Clnch said that
he was not prepared last night to enter into
further details, as the data he has collected
was not then at hand, but he would take
pleasure in according a subsequent inter
view, at which he would enter more fully
into the subject for more intelligent state
ment from the rice planters standpoint
MR.. TALMAGE TALKS.
After the meeting a MORNING NEWS re-
porter met Mr.. Talmage and asked him to
explain the position he occupied in wanting
the defining clause eliminated He was
told that it was learned that he had come
TO Savannah upon matter appertaining to
the rice question as set forth in the Mills
tariff bill now before Congress, and that he
had had a conference with the Georgia Rice
Association.
will you state your position in this
mAtterF he was asked.
Certainly" he replied. my object in
coming South was to show to our friends
here that defining clause which has been
inserted in the new bill is entirely unneces-
sary. and does not enter into the matter Of
protection, but on the other hand is a posi-
tive injury 10 the milling interests in this
country and afforting no corresponding
benefit to the producer. 1t is only Just to
the American miller that such defining
clause should be stricken out. Ny desire.
therefore, is that our friends here shall
coincide with me and consent to such an
amendment
sis this defining clause something new.
and if so for what reason was it desiredr'
THE defining clause is something new
and entirely unheard of in any previous
tariff. The reason of its insertion was this:
There was recently imported INTO Savan.
nah by the bark Hos a cargo of 'uncleaned'
rice from the Island of Java. 1t was in the
'uncleaned state and is known III all the
markets of the world as rough Java"
what do you mean by that term rough
JavaP Is i paddy, or similar to our own
rough ricep
THE HOS CARGO.
"No, it is in what is known as the 'un-
cleaned state, that is, the outer husk has
been removed. The inner skin, or cuticle
y
through the entire process of cleaning which
is necessary to render it marketable as the
cleaned rice of commerce.
'Are such styles Of rice called 'uncleaned'
elsewhereN"
Yes; they are so recognized in every
market of the world, as they are never ex-
ported from the primary producing mar
kets except in this condition, with one ex-
ception."
"What is that exceptions"
Japan rice"
"What relation do the exports Of japan
rice bear to the exports from other Eastern
countriesw
at stands relatively about per cent.-in
other words IS per cent. Of all the exports
from Eastern countries are made in a com
paratively advanced stage Of cleaning,
while Japan rice only. retains the innCr
skin or cuticle in its entirety untouched.
Now, under this defining clause japan
rice is the only kind that would come within
the provision of the tariff as all other
exports from Eastern countries have the
inner skin or cuticle disturbed. Under the
defining clause only such rice having the
inner skin or *cuticle undisturbed is ad-
mitted to the benefits of the uncleaned rate
of duty"
NOT MENACE TO AMERICAN RICE.
cit is claimed by some that these i'm.
a 20, l,a .a1,