The state capital., 1891-10-17
THE M'KINLEY TARIFF.
First Oficiai Statement on the
Workings Of the Law.
The Chief of the Bureau of Statistics Fur
nishes Some Figures for the Score
tary of the Treasury-The
Effect on tIie Revenue.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12.-Secretary of
the Treasury Charles Foster has re-
ceived the first official statement of
the operation. of the Mckinley tariff
The points covered are the effects upon
imports and exports, the production OF
the revenue, and the changes In prices
of various articles. The beginning of
reciprocity is also shown. This state
ment is very important and very inter-
estirg. 1t covers eleven months, end
ing September 1. 1t was prepared by
S. q. Brock, the chief of the bureau of
statistics, and is as follows:
During the eleven months from October |,
1890. 10 August 81, 1891, under the operation
of the new tariff law, the total value of our
foreign commerce, imports and exports of
meIchandise combined, was 81, COB, ,7S2, ,266, or
an increas. of s14,76s,6 ,639 over the value of
our foreign commerce during the corrc-
spending period or prior year. when 1t was
N.529. 0l3 ,6l7 The average annual increase
of our foreign commerce imports and ex-
ports of merchandise) during the twenty
years from 1871 to 1891 was $3S, ,314,a52 1t will
BIZ observed that the increase during the
first eleven months under the operation of
the new tariff was arly double this aver
ago annaul increase. Of the total commerce
of the eleven months ending August 81. 1891,
the value of our imports of merchandise was
i0,9jj an increase of s2J 6s1 .3l6 over the
value of the imports of the corresponding
months of the prior years, and the value of
the exports was ss41,51 301, an increase of
s49,0S7 ,3-3 over the prior period.
IMPORTS FREE OF DUTY.
The value of merchandise imported free
of duty during the eleven months ending
August a. 1891, was s3G4 ,661 1885, as compared
with s252. GAS. 255 imported free of duty dur
ing the corresponding eleven months of the
prior years, an increase of ;112, ,013, ,08i during
the first eleven months after sthe enactment
of the new tariff. During these eleven
months the proportion of merchandise al
mitted free of duty was 477s per cent. of the
total imports, while for the corresponding
months of the prior years the proportion of
merchandise admitted free of duty was "a 27
per cent. and increase of 1881 in the pe"-
centage of free goods imported under the
new tariff. This Is the greatest In amount
and percentage of merchandise admitted
free of duty In the history Of our foreign
commence during any similar period. Th-
value of imports of merchandise free of duty
during the fiscal year 1899 was .265, ,C6S 629, the
largest IN any year in the history of out
commerce. In 1889 the value OF imports of
free goods was S156,4S7,078 In comparison
with these years it will be observed that the
value of imports of free merchandise for the
first e even months. under the new tariff,was
s9S, ,9t2, 707 greater than for the year $780, and
Sl0S, 174,2;S greater than for the year 1889,
1t should also be considered that sugar.
one of the principal articles of imports,
both in quantity and in value, was not ad
mittcd free of duty until April l, 1891, and
from that date the value as well as the per
ccntage of merchandise admitted free of
duty has been greatly increased This will
be seen if comparison be made of tho i'm
ports of m"rchandi Sc for the five months
since April ], 1881, with the corresponding
period of 1890 The value of the imports of
merchandise for the five months from April
to August 81, 1891, was $3.50, ,725, 2 8, of which
5000 533, 49, or 55 IS per cent. was free of duty,
much the largest per cent in the imports of
merchandise free cf duty in the entire his
tory of the government. In the correspond
ing five months of 1890 the value of the inn
ports of merchandise was $50 ',234, $685. of
which Sl1S, ,521 ,444, only SO "a per cent, was
free. This shows an increase In the value
of free merchandise of s8l,012 .053, and of
q. 49 i'll the percentage thereof during shes
five months ending August 81, 1891, over the
CORES sponding period of 1890. The articles
of free merchandise unon which there was
such an increase are largely those not pro-
duced in this country, necessities which
pie, such as sugar, coffee, crude india rub
Der, chemicals. drugs, hides, skins, fruits,
nuts, etc.
DUTIABLE IMPORTS UNDER THE NEW TARIFF
During the eleven months from October l,
1880, to August 81, 1891, under the operation
of the new tariff, the value of imports or du
table merchandise was s393, 543 629, while
during the corresponding period of the pre-
cedng year the value of dutiable mercllan-
disc was S4S4 SS1 ,39i, showing q decrease for
eleven months under the new tariff of SSi,-
,765 in the value of merchandise paying
duty. 1t may also be noted that the total
value of the imports for the eleven months,
S763, 2lO, ,!65, exceeded in value the imports
Of any year in the history of our govern
ment. excepting the fiscal year 1890, when
their value was $789.310,402 If, however,
the imports of September, 1891, equal those
of August, the total imports will largely cx-
cecd those of 1890.
REDUCTION OF THE CUSTOMS REVENUE.
Since the enactment of the new tariff law
there has been Il large reduction in the reve-
nue. from customs. This WAS contemplated d
in the bill itself, which recited at its head
"An act to reduce the revenue" ETC. 1t will
be observed there was during the year a re-
duction in the customs revenue of SAL 1885,
4? 40, Notwithstanding there was n large
increase in the imports of merchandise. This
large reduction in the revenue occurred dur
ing the last three quarters of the year in.
cluded in the statement The increase that
appears in the first quarter occurred in Oc-
tober, 1892, the month in which the new
tariff went into effect. The new law did not
go into effect until the 6th and the imports
of merchandise and the withdrawal
of merchandise from warehouses immedi-
ateiy prior to that date was very large. The
reduction of the revenue from customs dur
ing the three quarters ending September 30,
1891, as compared with the same period of
the prior year, was a., 5,0l4.8,S21, but in con :
sidering the statement of the whole twelve
months. this amount is cut down by the in
creased revenue collected during the first
quarter, which occurred in October, as mon =
toned above. 1t will be remembered, how =
ever, that the principal article of our i'm
ports of merchandise from which the duty
was removed is sugar. and by the provis
ioEs of the new tariff law the removal of
this duty did not take effect until April /,
1891.
During the two quarters since that date it
will be seen that the reduction in customs
revenue, AS compared with the same period
of the prior year, amounted to $41, ,780 29i. II.
From this it will reasonably appear that the
reduc tions for an entire year will be fully as
large, il not In excess of the amount con-
templated in the enactment of the rev
tariff law. 1t further appears from the
above table that the to: al receipts from Gus
toms during the twelve months prior to the
passage of the new tariff were S237 ,695 492. As,
and for the first twelve months after the
enactment of the new tariff law the receipts
were 1896, ,302, ,06i9i. The customs revenue
collected during the first period of twelve
months per capita OF population was
$3.50, and during the second period So. OF,
a reduction per capita OF - cents.
The reduction in customs revenue has
been greatly accelerated since April last
when the duty was removed from sugar. 1t
appears from the table that the custom 8
revenue per capita of population collected
during the SIX months ending September 80,
1891, was only 81. 30. Ii the customs revenue
collected during the following six months
ending March 81, 1892, should be in the same
proportion, the customs revenue per capita
collected during the year ending with the