The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1891-10-15
THE M'KINLEY TARIFF.
First Official Statement On the
Workings of the Law.
The chief of the bureau OF Statistics Fur
nlshes Some Figures for the Score.
tary OF the Trcasury-Thc
Eject on the Revenue.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12.-Sccretary 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 Misc shown. This state
ment Is very Important and very inter-
esting. 1t covers eleven months, end
Ing September 1. 1t was prepared by
5. G. Brock, the chief of the bureau OF
statistics, and is as follows:
During the eleven months from october 1,
iSy0. to August 81, 1891, under the operation
OF the new tariff law, tile total value OF our
foreign CONNIE rec, imports nnu exports OF
merchandise combined, was sl,G03. 49,, 266, or
an incrcas of So 6s. $50 over the value OF
our foreign commerce during the corro'
spending period or prior year. when 1t was
tl,529, OlS ,6iI. Tho average annual increase
OF our foreign commerce imports and cx'
ports of mcrchandisc) during the twenty
years from 1871 to 1871 was SSS ,3li,! ~. II VIII
be observed that the increase during the
first eleven months under the operation Of
the new tnr.ff was II, nrly double thlsa aver
nge annual Increase. OF the total commerce
Of tho eleven months ending August 81. 1891,
the value of our imports of merchandise was
E6i,2l0,9ii, an Increase Of S2j,GSl BIG over the
valuc of the imports OF the corresponding
months Of the prior years. and the va'ue OF
the exports was ~ 81 .30l, an increase Of
{ig,OsI ,3.3 over the prior period.
IMPORTS FHEE OF DUTY.
The value of merchandise imported free
of duty during the eleven months ending
August II. 1891, was SO 4,s / ,s3i, rs compared
with s2i2.64s. 251 imported free Of duty dur.
;", tIn -, g,,,y al. xn,, ,,.N,,Nl,a ~ flts.
prior years, AN increase OF ll2,ol3,0sl during
the first eleven months after the enactment
of the new tariff. During these eleven
months the proportion of merchandise al.
mitted free of duty was AS per cent. OF the
total imports, while for the corresponding
months OF the prior years the proportion Of
mrrchandi Sc admitted free OF duty was "a a.
per cent. and increase Of 1881 In the PEI.
ccntagc of free goods imported under the
new tariff. This IL the greatest In amouit
and percentage OF merchandise admitted
free OF duty in the history OF our foreign
during amy similar period. To-
value of imports Of merchandise free OF duty
during The fiscal year l>9b was :2tj. COS ,G29, tho
lnrgcs: in any year in the history OF oui
commerce. In 1889 the value OF imports OF
free goods was $3.50, 49, ,Ois. In comparison
with these years it will be observed that the
value Of imports OF free merchandise for tho
first c'cycn months, under the new t~arIn,wns
1882. T0T greater than for the year 1890, and
sius, l7i.2.s greater than for the year 1859,
1t should also be considered that sugar.
one of the principal articles of imports,
both in quantity and in value, was not AL
United free of duty until April /, 1891, and
from that date the value a. well ns the per.
crntasc OF merchandise admitted free of
duty has been greatly increased. This will
be seen II comparison be made of the I'm
ports of IN rchandi So for the i've month,
since April J., 1891, with the corresponding
period of 1870 The value of the Imports oi
merchandise for the flvc months from April
/ to August 81, 1891, was SS5a. "a, 9. OF which
500, 53S, i97, or "a. 15 per cent. was free Of duty
much the largest per cent. in the imports of
merchandise free CT duty In the entire his
tory of the government In the correspond
ing five months Of IS ~ the value OF the i'm
port. of merchandise was sa5 .23i,s6 OF
which Sis ,52l. Al, or only 33. % per cent, wa!
free. This shows an Increase In the value
OF free merchandise of s,,Ol2. 05i, and o
2? ~ in the percentage thereof, during tn
five months ending August 81, 1891, over til
corresponding period OF 1880. The articles
of tree merchandise u"on which there wa
!, such an Increase ARE largely those not pro
, duced In this country, necessities whic
|, daily enter into thu consumption OF the PEG
pic, such us sugar, coffee, crude India rub
Der, chemicals. drugs, hides, skins. fruit.
nuts, etc.
prTiAnLE IMPORTS UNDER THE NEW tariff
nc ' ~ III WV
1880, to August 81, 1891, under the opcratio
|, of the new tariff, the value of imports or du
table merchandise was 1898, itJ. 500. Will
during the corresponding period of the pre-
:, ccding year the value OF dutiable mcrchan
disc was slsi, ISL. 1874, showing a decrease 10
eleven months under the new tariff OF IS :
. 4 l,7Gi in the value Of mcrchand sc payin
. duty. 1t may also be noted that the tOti
= value Of the imports for the eleven month
= s7Gs. .ll,.Gi, exceeded in value the import
: If any year in the history Of our govern
mont, excepting the fl >cal year 1897, whe
. .hcir value was $3.50 80, 400. II, howeve
: the imports Of september r, 1891, equal thos
OF August, til" total imports will largely G,
coed those of 1880.
:, REDUCTION OF THE CUSTOMS VEN
:, Since the enactment OF the new tariff Ia
there has been II large reduction in the rev,
nue. from en- .tons. This was contemplate
. In the bill Itself, which rccitcd at its heat
= Al act to reduce the revenue" etc. 1t wi
= DO observed there was during tho year n RI
- uuctlon in the customs revenue OF !l ,39j
~ 40, Notwithstanding there WAS n lars
Increase in the imports of merchandise. TIL
large reduction in the revenue occurred du
ing the last three quarters OF the year II
Guided in the statement, The increase tn,
appears in the first quarter occurred In o
\ tubcr, 1889, the month In which the ne
= tariff went lnto eff ct. The new law did II,
go into effect until the 9Th, and tho iInpor
OF mcFclthtiSc anu tnc Withdraw
Of merch iudisG from warehouses immrd
atoly prior to that date was very large. II
S reduction of the revenue from customs du
n ing the three quarters ending September
- 1891, as compared with the same period
IS the prior year, was 4j,0li is ". u, but in 60
e sidcrlng the statement of tho whole twel
!, months. this amount Is cut down by the |
creased revenue collected during the a.
r quartcr, which occurred in ctober, us me
= toned above. 1t will be remembered no
a ever, that the prlncip Il article of our II
Z ports of merchandise from which the du
c was removed is sugar. and BY the prov
I ions of tao new tariff law the removal
! this duty did not take effect until April
u 1881.
n During the two quarters since that date
r will he seen that the reduction In custol
- revenue, rs compared with the same perl
y of the prior year, amounted to 81, $50, 29i.
d From this II will reasonably appear that I
4 reductions for an entire year will be fully
- large, IL not In excess of the amount co
81 tcmplatcd in the enactment of the Il,
J. tariff law. 1t further appears from I
T above table that the total receipts from CT
toms during the twelve months prior to I
passage OF the new tariff were s237, CO., 49,.
TO and for the first twelve months after I
4 enactment of the new tariff law the rcceil
- were sI9i, 3O2, 06 i.95. The customs reven
collected during the first period Of twel
l. months per capita OF population "
1. $3.50, and during the second period So.
y or a reduction per capita OF 20 cen
The reduction In customs revenue !
been greatly accelerated since April l la
u | ruln.. .ln Ia., ,--a .-.