The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-09-17
THE COFFEE TAX GHOST.
IT RETuHNs ONCE MORE TO TROUBLE
The HIGH TARIFF PARTY.

The HIGH TARIFF PARTY.
Fai<ity Of TIA. pro.ee.ionist oiain, That
the AhoIitIon OF the Duty %. cof.se Did
No. nslaes the Priee-FIsure. show
th> Contrary.
The reciprocity scheme Of Mr. p,aina
for the free admission of South Alneri-
can sngar and wool in return for ike
treatnent OF our agricultural products
oy south American nations has called
lo1t'i ati kinds of opinions as to the wis
dom 81 the PLAN There arc some who
claim that the abolition of the sugar
du.f would not result in lower prices,
and they cite the case of the duty on cof-
fee a. warrsnting their opinion
Thus the New York correspondent of
The Philadolphia Ledger writes to that
paper us follows:
Ind that the idea is entertained by
many people here that the duty on sugar
should not be removed until reciprocal
,:.tss< g7'sars obtained Erom sugar pro
dueing countries. and reference is fire.
quently made TO the case of coffee,
which was pnt upon the free list July 1,
1872. Instead of the price of coffee de-
Ginning after the duty was abolished il
went up. In 1871 the average price was
less than 10 cents pound: in 1872 il
was neariy 1871 cents, and in 1874 it was
over u ccrts. Indeed Brazil put an ex-
port duty ON the article. But in 1885
the average price of coffee was down to
cents. and last year was up again TO
1880 cents. Tho argument Is used that
free sugar would not insure reduction
of price. but the fluctuations in the
price of coffee are attributed by some to
crop conditions having nothing to do
with tariff laws Senator Edmunds a
year or two ago cited the facts of the ad-
vance ii tine price of coffee as an illus
tration to show that free trade would
not always cheapen the necessaries of
lie, as is claimed by its advocates
Tie facts here set forth as to- the fiuc-
tuations in the price of coffee since the
duty was abolished are true, but it is
not true that coffee has been lower sil.ca
the duty was abolished.
Coffee came in free till Aug. 1, 1861.
AID duty Of four cents pound was
then placed on it. On Dec. 25 of the
same year the duty was raised to five
cents pound, at which figure it re-
mained till Jan. 1. 1871, when it was
reduced to three cents. The duty was
finally abolished July /, 1872.
The average wholesale price of Brazil
ian coffee in the New York market for
the eleven years 1S82-'73 inclusive was
$lS.G1 per 100 pounds. This is the price
reduced to N gold basis for the entire
period thai the tax covered. For the
seventeen years since the removal of the
duty tho average price has been $15 90.
Before the duty was imposed the average
was still lower. being only $1U.4a for the
ten years 1S50-59 inclusive.
1t is seen from the above figures tina:
the price since tho duty was abolished
has averaged 80 per hundred less than
during the period when the duty was
collected. This reduction, it Is true.
does not esiial the entire duty. removed.
but that discrepancy can DO s.tisf:if...
torily accounted for.
About the time that we removed the
duty on coffee Brazil adopted the singular
policy of taxing coffee for export, and to
this day our merchants are compelled 20
pay that export duty to the Brazilian
government. The duty of three cents IL
pound which we removed in 1872 was
equivalent that year to 10 per cent. al
valoreD1. The Brazilian duty is IL per
lent. al valorcm. When our merchants
buy in Brazil they pay SO much for the
coffee. and then buy from the govern.
ment c permit TO export. which is IL per
cent. of tl.s value OF tho purchase.
But. isiaay DO asked, why do not our
merchants buy in other parts of the
world and thus avoid the Brazilian duty.
The Answer TO this Ia that Brazil pro.
duces about 90 per cent. of the worlds
supply If cuffee, leaving only about 40
per cent to he supplied by Java and
other countries. But the United States
consumes about 80 per cent. of all the
coffee grown, and therefore the countries
other than Brazil could not supply US
with enough. even If we could control
their entire product.
Aside from this practical difficulty
everybody knows that tastes determine
the distribution of the worlds coffee:
the different kinds-Rio, Java, Mocha,
etc.-are IN demand among all coffee
drinking nations, and one nation could
rot get all OF amy one kind, even If il
wished to do so.
The figures for the average cost of
coffee as already given do not convey n
complete idea of the advantage that the
abolition of the duty has brought to the
country. The increased consumption
must also be taken into account Our
average annual consumption between
1862 and 1872 was 90.011 tons; during
the ten years following the repeal of the
duty this average was raised to 10, ,2e3
tons. and last year our imports were
25S, $50 tons.
It is a fact that coffee rose in price for
time af.er the duty was taken of.
Tho following figures give the average
price per 100 pounds for several years
before and after tho duty was removed:
is7o.....-.....--.si sie 30 1874. .sei ns
iSgI--..-......... Is Of iss5........... 10 OF
fe7s----..-..-.... Is - isso.............. II %
167S-----.. 10 20