The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-04-23


foreign competition. In tie case OF wool
the report cites figures as an evidence OF the
alarming decline In production. and says that IA
adv ance of duties has been omniended which
IL Is believed will AFFORD ample protection 10
wool-grOwing farmers. While the Senate bill
fixed the duty on thira-clts We oil at cen, ., the
committees places 40 NJ 80 cents ac lug upon
the b. lief that With the rictiOns, definition,
and elias siiiC ations, aud the add ZION 81 port
charges, recc mno..ded by no Dill, TIE ain efence
will be fully compensated. The committee be-
lieves that the United states should produce al
OF the wool IL consumes, and that With adequap
defensive legislation IL wi do 30. The annual
consumption IL 600 0OO,0)J pounds, and with tho
protection afforded by the bill the farmers OF the
United States will al an early day be able 10
supply this demand by the addition OF loJ per
cent, or l,OOO,OOJ sheep, 10 the present nun n.
The bill seeks to stop the frauds which
have been shamelessly practiced IN
the PAST by importing woods ready for the
loom under new names and forms TO avoid legal
duties. The report gives the increase OF me
duty on wool and the construction given 10 the
worsted clause OF the existing law "a reason
for increasing the duties on WOODEN goods to
protect manufacturers. IL closes The neces-
sity OF this increase is apparent in view OF the
tact already STATED that during the last hscal
wear there were imports OF manufactures OF
wool of the foreign value of S52 6sl 1872 rs shown
by the undervalued invoices, aud the real value
in our market OF nearly S9J.OOOO-fully one
fourth OF our entire home consumptiOn-equi
alent to an import OF at least l6O O0J,OO0 pounds
OF wool in the form OF manufactured goods"
Existing law gives, il is said a protection OF
IS 10 as per cent.the bill gives n range OF 30 To
so per cent The Mills bill gave uniform rate
of 40 per cent.-more than was required on low
grades and less than was needed for fine goods.
The advance in these fine grades VIII, IL Is be-
lieved, diminish inportations, and thereby re-
duce instead of Increase the revenues and trans
fer 20 the country the manufacture OF from
Sl5OO0,O 900 To S2O,0OO,OO0 OF woolen goods now
made abroad. The average rate of the WOODEN
goods schedule proposed, including the specific
duty on the wool used ana the manufacturers
duty, is 9l7S per cant. The average rate at
present IL 60 10 per cent, but IL the worsted
year IL would have been increased 10 per cent,
and - per cent. more would have been added
II worsted yarns had paid the duty of
wooden yarns at the Same price, so that II
these manifest errors in construction of law had
been earlier corrected the average rate last year
would have been nearly 80 per cent. OF lumbsr
the report saws that any reduction Of the slight
duties would have discouraged the proper care
OF timber lands and have Injured TO the
benefit OF Canada without diminishing the mar
ket price. OF the metal schedules the report
says that no reduction can be made in pig iron
or ore duties without detriment TO existing
in iustTies, aud the committee has not felt
Justified in interfering with the further de-
velopment OF our iron-ore resources, now so
promising in the Southern States. With regard
TO pig iron il may be said thai il is i'm no sense
raw material. II is n product of the highest
skill, requiring for its manufacture large and
expensive plants, the capital inves ed in which
in our country today more than equals that
which is invested in any other branch Of our
iron and steel industries Pig iron is made in
twenty-five States in the Union. Its manu-
Ihcluft is lltfth1luB Tdpluly IN many states,
largely as the result Of the protective duty
y hich has long given encouragement 10 its pro-
ductiOn. lt has had n marvelously rapid
growth in the Southern and Western States in
The last ten years, and ii is to-day the leading
manufacturing industry south OF the Potomac
ard Ohio Rivers. 1t has been the most potent
OF all influences in the industrial rehabilitation
Il the south. The report strongly sustains the
incrt ased duty recommended on tin plate.
THE SUGAR QUESTION.
or sugar the report says: The committee rec
hat TO- md
Dutch standard OF color, and molasses be
placed the free list, with "a duty OF four
tenths OF cent per pound on refined sugar
above No. l6, and that bounty OF cents per
pound be paid from the treasury for a period of
fifteen years for all sugar poa izing at least So
per cent made in this country from cane beets
or sorghum produced in the Uni ed States. In
lsSS the consumption of sugar in the United
States vas ,I6J, '97 tens or 53.1 pounds per in
habitant. or this only 1s9 Sl4 tons was pro-
duced in the United States. and 2S), 1S3 tons,
or seyen-eii hths OF our consumption, was
imported. So large proportion OF our sugar
is imported that the home produc ion of sugnr
does not mat rally affect the price, and The
duty Is therefore tax which is added 10 the
price not only OF the imported but OF the
domestic produce, which IL not true OF duties
imposed on articles produced or made here
substantially 20 1.-The extent of our wants. In
1889 the duties collected on imported sugar and
mOlasses amounted to so 1915 $40. Add to this
the increase OF price OF domestic sugar arising
from tn duty, and it Is cl 3ar that tn duty on
sugar ana moltsses made the cost OF the sugar
country at least S5i 100000, about n for each
man. Woman and child in the United States
more than il would have been IL no such duties
hal been levied, and the domestic product had
remained the ame. Even on the assumptiO n
that with proper encouragement we shall
eventually he able To produce all, or nearly
ALL the sugar required for the consumption OF
our people-an assumption which your COM
inttee believe 70 be sustained by many IN sts
Notwithstanding the slow progress thus far
made in sugar culture in this country-this en-
couragement can be given much more econom-
ically and Cffectually Y loun V of two cents
per pound involving the expenditure OF but II
little more than - 10000 per annum with the
pre- sent production OF sugar in this count ".
than by the imposition Of duty involving the
collection of S55glj,6l0 in duties in the last =
cal year, not 10 mention the amount indirectly
involved. When IL is considered that this in
crease in cost, due 10 the duty falls article
OF prime necessity as food, your committee are
persuaded that Justice n well as good policy
requires that such an unnecessary burden in tho
way OF u direct tax should be removed from
sugar, and that the announcement required TO
induce the production of sugar in the United
States should be given through q bounty rather
than by an impC ri duty.
In providing that not only raw sugar. but
also sugar up 10 and including No. rs shall be
admitted free OF duty, an opportunity is given
for the free introduction OF yellow sugars suited
for family use-an arrangement which will Sc
cure 20 our people sugar at the lowest price
existing in the markets Of the world, while
even imported white refined sugar will be sub
ject 20 IA duty OF only 4-l0ths OF a cent per
pound.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
Coming To agricultural products tie report
says the committee has given most or its in
vestigation TO existing. conditions OF agricu IL
tural and kindred matters. IL says: That
there is widespread depression in this indu stry
to-day can not DO toubted. Every remedy
within the scope OF practical legislation known
TO your committee has been recommended
in the proposed measure To meet the ur-
gent requirements OF the situation. The
enemies OF the protective system have no word
of criticism for the real cause of agricultural
depress sion, suggestion OF relief from the
real burdens which are weighing 10 down to-day
but, seizing the present as favorable time they
solemnly charge that the decline in our market
is solely due TO the tariff. They are pleased to
ignore the fact that one Of the purposes of Il
protective tariff is 20 hinder still larger inn
portation OF foreign produce and thus save the
market from still greater depression. But your
committee sensible to the importance OF this
industry, prompted by the single motive 10 lift
IL Co the highest level OF profitable employment,
believe that they offer in the bill all the relief
which tariff legislation can give TO it..
"A critical examination of the subject Will
show that agriculture Is suffering chiefly from
most damaging foreign competition in our
home market. The Increase i'm importations OF
agricultural products since 1850 has been enor-
nous amounting from S40,0OO,0,0 TO more than
1856. OO1, 0OD in 1889 The worlds market 20
which the advocates of tariff for revenue only
invite the farmers OF this country, is to-day
crowded with the products OF the cheapest
human labor the earth affords. Alloyer the old