Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-10-15
THE new TARIFF.
The First Official Document on
Changes Effected.
IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING PAPER.
Comparison of Imports and Exports-The
Material Decline in Customs Revenue
Reciprocity Opening New Markets
Table of Prices.

WASHINGTON, Oct 11.-Secretary Fos-
ter has received the first official state
ment 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 statement is very i'm
portant and very interesting 1t covers
eleven months, bringing the results
| almost down to date. 1t was prepared
by S. G. Brock, the chief of the bureau
of statistics, and is as follows:
During the eleven months from October l,
1890, to August 81, 1891, under the operation OF
the new tariff law, the total value of our
foreign commerce, imports and exports of
merchandise combined, was 81. sos IS, ,266, or
an increase of S74,7 $50 over the value of
our foreign commerce during the cor
responding period ofprior year, when it was
$3.50, O136H. The average annual increase
of our foreign commerce imports and ex-
ports OF merchandise during the twenty
years from 1871 to 1891 was S3S, ,352. 1t will
be observed that the increase during the
eleven months under the operation of the
new tariff was nearly double this average
annual in crease. OF the total commerce of
the eleven months ended August 81, 1891, the
value of our imports of merchandise was
S6S, ,2l096j, an increase of SIS, ,6sI ,3l6 over the
value of the imports of the corresponding
months Of the prior years. and the value of
the exports was SsiO,57I 3O1, an increase of
;49,OS7,32S over the prior period.
During the eleven months from october /,
1880, to August 81, 1891. under the operation
OF the new tariff, the value of imports of du-
table merchandise was S39s $40 629 while
during the corresponding period of the pre-
ceding year the value of dutiable merchan-
disc was S4S4 sSI ,39l, showing a decrease for
the eleven months under the new tariff of
sS6, SSl, ,765 in the value of merchandise paying
duty. 1t may also be noted that the total
value of the imports for the eleven months,
S6S, ,2l0, ,s6j, exceeded in value the imports of
any year in the history of our government.
excepting the fiscal year 1890, when their
value was S7s9 slO 4Oa If, however, the i'm
ports OF September, 1891, equal those of Au-
gust, the total imports will largely exceed
those of 1890
Since the enactment of the new tariff law
there has been a large reduction in the reve-
nue. from customs. This was contemplated
in the bill itself, which recited at its head:
IAN act to reduce the revenue" etc 1t will |
be observed there was during the year a re- |
duetion in the customs revenue Of 81 396,- |
425. 49, notwithstand ing there was a large in
crease in the imports of merchandise This |
large reduction in the revenue occurred |
during the last three quarters OF the year in |
cluded in the statement The increase that /
appears in the first quarter occurred in Oc- |
tober, 1880, the month in which the new
tariff went into effect The new law did /
not 90 into effect until the 9Th. and the i'm
ports of merchandise and the withdrawal /
of merchandise from warehouses immedi-
ately prior to that date was very large. The
reduction of the revenue from customs dur
ing the three quarters ended September 81,
1891 as comDared with the same period of |
the prior year. was Sl5sOi4, ,sSs21. but in con
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 men,
toned above 1t will be remembered how
ever. that the principal article of our i'm