Iron County register., 1890-04-24
THE TARIFF BILL.
The New Tariff Bill Reported in
the House.
The Salient Points of the Majority and
Minority Reports-Practicaliy Free
Sugar with Bounty on
the Home Product.

sugar with oOuhLS Oh
the Home Product.
WASHINGTON. April 17.-Mr. Mckin-
ley, from the committee on ways and
means introduced the new Tariff bill
with the majority report on it, in the
House yesterday. The majority re-
port discusses the effect that the bill
will have upon the revenues of the
Government. 1t states that the exact
effect is difficult of ascertainment,
and says:
That there will be a substantial reduction
as We shall show, admits of no doubt. 1t is
not believed that the increase of duties upon
woods and WOODEN goods and upon glass
ware will have the effect of increasing the
revenues. That would, of course, follow il
the importations of the last fiscal year were
hereafter to be maintained, which, how
ever. is altogether improbable. The result
will be that importations will be decreased,
and, therefore. the amount of revenue coll
lected from these sources will be dimin-
ished. In every case of increased duty ex-
cept that imposed upon tin plate (Which
does not go into effect till June l. 1891 and
upon linen fabrics, the effect will be to
uuce rather than enlarge the revenues, be-
cause importatiOnS will fall off. 1t was the
aim of the committee to fix the duties upon
that class of manufactured goods and farm
products which can be supplied at home so
as to discourage the use of like foreign
goods and products and secure to our own
people and our own producers the home
market, believing that competition among
ourselves will secure reasonable prices to
consumers in the future as it has invariably
done in the past. We seek by the increased
duties recommended not only to maintain
but to enlarge our own manufacturing
plants and check those supplies from
abroad which can be profitabiy produced at
home. The general policy of the bill is to
foster and promote American production
and dlversiticaton of American industry.
The report quotes the recommenda-
tions concerning the tariff in the Presi-
dents annual message and terms them
sensible and patriotic" After
discussion of the administrative feat
ures of the bill, the report goes over
each schedule, noting the proposed
changes and discussing the reasons for
making them, and estimating the
amount of duty in each case that will be
affected.
In regard to wool, the report states
that by the proposed bill the duties on
first and Second-claSs woods are made at
II and II cents a pound, as against 10
and - under existing law. On third
class wool, costing 12 cents Or less, the
duty is raised from 81 cents pound to
81 cents, and upon woods of the third
class costing above IL cents the duty
recomme ended is an advance from to s
cents per pound. The report says:
There seems to be no doubt that with the
protection afforded by the increased duties
recommended in the bill, the farmers of the
United States will be able at an early day to
supply substantially all of the home de-
mand, and the great benefit such produc-
ton will be to the agricultural interests CT
the country can not be estimated. The pro-
duction of 100000, 900 pounds of wool would
require about O0,OOo 900 sheep, addi-
tion of more than 100 per cent. to the pres
ent number. In revising the woolen goods
schedule SO as to afford adequate protection
to our woolen manufacturers and wool
growers, we have continued the system of
compound duties which have proved to be
SO essential In any tariff which protects
WOOL providing first for specific compen-
satory pound or square yard duty, equiva-
lent to the duty which would be paid on the
wool if imported, for the benefit of the
wool growers, and an ad valorem duty of
from 30 to so per cent. according to the pro-
portion of labor required in the manufact-
of the several classes of goods, as pro-
lection to the manufacturer against foreign
competition. and 10 per cent. additional
upon ready made clothing for the protec-
tion of the clothing manufacturers.
From the best information we can obtain
it is probable that increased rates of duty
given to manufacturers of woolens will re-
duce, certainly not increase, the revenue
from this source and transfer to this country
the Manufacture of from SIS 900 to 500. 900
600 of woolen goods now made abroad In
computing the equivalent ad valorem duty
on manufactures of woolens, the combina-
ton of both specific duty, which is simply
compensatory for the duty on the wool used,
of which the wool-grower receives the ben
eft, and the duty which protects the manu-
facturers, and makes the average resultant
rate OF the wooden goods schedule proposed
SIS per cent. is considered
After defending its action in increas-
ing the duty on certain kinds of iron
and OF tin plate, the committee goes on
to discuss the sugar and molasses sched-
ule. The sugar schedule was only de-
cided on Tuesday night. The committee
recommend that sugar up to and includ-
ing No. Is Dutch standard of color and
molasses be placed on the free list,
with a duty of fourtenths of one cent
per pound on refined sugar above
No Is, and that bounty of two
cents per pound be paid from
the Treasury for q period of fifteen
years for all sugar polarizing at least s.
per cent. made in this country from
cane. bects or sorghum produced in the
United States. Discussing the sugar
question the committee says:
So large proportion of our sugar is i'm
ported that the home production of sugar
does not materially affect the price, and the
duty is there. ore tax, which is added to the
pI ice not only of the imported. but of the
domestic product, which is not true of du
ties imposed on articles produced or made
here Substantially to- the extent of our
wants.
The committee admits that free
trade or revenue duties would tempo
rarily diminish prices, but argue that
i would be at the expense of the do
mestic products, which would be dis
placed, and then prices would again ad-
vance and the country be left at the
mercy of foreign syndicates and manu-
facturar5. The report says:
Cheaper products from abroad to the
ericun consumers mean cheaper labor
At home and lower rates to the domestic
producer with 40 benefits to the consumer.
NCsher condition would prove blessing
to the United states. That country is the
less prosperous where low prices and low
wages prevail. One of the chief complaints
now prevalent among our farmers - That
they can get no prices for the crops at all
q fha lal3or and NitnI n