The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1890-06-20

10 4 orriEnef. Cne1pff Than ~ the l1ou,e
Market An Unjust Discrimination
Against the American People In the Hun
trlr "Amrrican Bili."
Tho Mckinley bill Is : bill Of false
pretenses. BESIDES It's attempt TO gull
tho farmer there are various other do
septions aimed IT In IL. One Of the
most notable Is in the matter or rebates.
When any material is brought into
this country and Is then sold outside Of
the country again, either in its first
form or after being worked up into
some manufactured product, the Gov
eminent refunds 90 per cent OF the duty
which had been paid on this mate
rial when II was brought into the coun-
try. This part OF the duty refunded by
The Government is called a rebate, or
drawback.
The Government now gives back, ~
stated, 90 per cent. Of the duty. Mr..
Mckinley proposes that the Govern
ment shall hereafter pay back 90 per
sent, Keeping only one per cent. TO pay
expenses for collection.
This measure was claimed by McKin-
ley. in his opening speech on the Tar.h
AtAAs w RAA'N VA - 49,
,iscly the same position. with regard TO
raw material. Mckinley has heard the
foreign trade. as II they had free
voice Of the manufacturers Of the East
demanding free raw material. He has
seen the petition OF the New England
manufacturers, with the names Of hum
dreds OF the most prominent firms at
tached to it. asking for free coal and
coke and free pig iron.
Something had to be done tomakeitep-
pear that thisdcmand had been granted.
Accordingly the rebate on raw material
was raised from 30 per cent to 90 per
cent. This, Mr.. Mckinley said. would
give the manufacturers. so far as inn
ported materials were concerned, all the
advantages Of free trade in the foreign
market. In this way the Lord High
Tariff Maker thinks he has silenced the
demand for free raw material.
but II is just here that the false pre-
tense comes in. This rebate, as is we'll
known in manufacturing and trade
circles, is practically a dead letter. 1t
is worth SO little TO manufacturers they
seldom apply for it. The difficulties
and delays in the way Of settling the
rebate are so great that it is almost en-
tircly ignored.
Speaking Of Mr.. McKinley's claim
that the ~ per cent. rebate gives the
manufacturers all the advantages OF
free trade. the New York Commercial
Bulletin has this to say: "Manufact-
urers who have had experience Of the
-.1,<.u mill MT
be deceived by this. They know that
rebates. although ostcnsibly put forward
as cncouragcments to the export trade,
have no effect in that direction
and simply serve to mislead
public opinion. IL they are not
so intended. The conditions under
which the rebate Of duty can be claimed
are so onerous as to be practically pro
hibitive. In the first place, exports O
such manufactures as textiles, to qualify
for it. must be wholly composed Of i'm
ported materials. and in the second
such articles as plows, moving machines
and shovels must have imported mate
rial incorporated in their manufacture
TO an extent exceeding one half Of tn
total Of the materials used. It Is still
further necessary, in order to make
claim leg innate. that the importe'
materials shall be idcntifiable, that Is
in every step Of the manufacturing pro
cess they shall practically be under tn
surveillance Of Government officials
The present tariff allows q rebate Of 2
per cent. under the above conditions
but the trouble and expense ~attcndin,
q attempt at its collection have BEEF
SO great that exporters have found IL :
their advantage to ignore 1t altogether
It Is not It all likely, therefore, that tn
proposed change from . rebate Of 90 pc
cent to ono Of % per cent. will prove
satisfactory solution Of the difficulty
and the clause will therefore continu
useless"
Mr.. A. h. Farquhar, Of York. Pa, on
OF our largest manufacturers and ex
porters OF agricultural machinery. ha
written q letter to the New Yor
Tribune in which he calls attention I
the embarrassments which combine {
make the drawback or rebate provision
practically a lead letter The least Q
these" he says sis the fact that tn
duty is not refunded but only
portion Of it--9O per cent. Then tn
regulations which are required by tn
Treasury Department to guard aga!ns
frauds. the necessity Of proving that tn
imported goods in each article excrc
half its value. the limit oftimc in whic
drawbacks can be claimed, the DANCE
OF having orders countermanded by col
tinual delays, practically involve 3
much annoyance and precious time q
to cat up all the profits there were
the drawbacks. even when he materis
was as much as 30 per cent. cheaper
England than here
And thus IL is seen that the tariff
makers talk about his rebate placin
all the advantages Of free trade In th
hands Of the manufacturers, Is simply
piece OF p~rctcnse. II is like his dus
on eggs. which Mr.. Butterworth, b
Republican colleague from Ohio, SAL
means zone omelet q year"
But why should Mr.. Mckinley propo'
to give foreign buyers a great advantae
over the home consumer at the doors
the homo market factories? He held Y
his bill a. ian American bill not
European bill" Why then shoul
Americans be Disseminated against
xls~.n~,. ,.or;ca, bi1lo 0ur tart