The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-10-17
THE MKINLEY TARIFF.
FIRST Ofnciai Statement On tks
Workings Of tho Law:

The Chicf of tho Bureau of Statistics FHF-
nishes Some Figures for the sccre-
tary of the Trensury-The
Eject ON the Revenue.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1a.-Secretary of
the Treasury Charles Foster has re-
eeiyed the first ofi'cisl statement Uf
the operation Of the Mckinley sariff
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
esting. 1t covers eleven months, end
ing September 1. 1t was prepared by
S. &. Brock, the chief of the bureau OF
statistics, and is as follows
burfig the eleven uiurts from October 1.
is9l. to August 81. issi, uiiaer tile optratcn
OF the new tariff law, the total Waldo of 6tr
foreign comm rec, imports and exports oil
merchandise combined, was 81 ,f03. .1s2. .2fsi, or
All incrcas. OF s.I,76s $50 over the value OF
otir fbtcign commerce during the CORE.
sponding pcri5l bt priof ytst. Shsn Il was
sl,J<5sbi.,p-i. i nc aNtTaEt A'aSN
of our foreign commerce tinipb-ts and eS
ports Of mcTchandsc) during the twenty
years from 1871 to 1891 was s3s ,3Ii, 81. 1t will
be observed that the increase during the
first eleven months under the operation OF
the new tar # was arly double this aver
age annaul increase of the total commerce
Of TIE eleven months ending Angus: 81. 1891,
the taIhe of our imports Uf merchandise WAS
y7i, ,2iOgiI. an Increase Of So cat .s!G over the
months of the pfibr years. and the ta'ue uf
the exports was ~ 81 .sdl, an increase Of
sia,Gss,3-s bvct the prior period.
IMPORTS FREE oF buff.
The value of merchandise Imported free
Of duty during the eleven months ending
August 81. 1891, was s3'I ,s'l ,33j, as compared
with .253. SIS. 25J imported free Of duty dur
ing the corresponding el'ven months OF the
prior years, an increase of l!2.Gl3,nsl during
the first eleven months after the enactment
of the new tariff. During these eleven
months the proportion Of merchandise ad-
mittcd free Of duty was AS per cent Of the
tot Il imports, while fof the CORRESPONDING
months of the prior years the proportion oI
nieI eh lndise admitted free Of duty vas "a %
per cent. and increase of 1851 in the per
centage Of free goods Imported under the
new tariff. This is the greatest In amount
and percentage Of merchandise admitted
commence during any similar pcfiod. The
value of imports Of merchandise free Of duiy
during the fiscal year l'9i was 2H,' '6s.6-9, the
larges. in any year in the history OF our
commerce. In 1883 the value of imports of
free goods was S2J6, ,is7.O1s In comparison
with these years it will he observed that the
value of imports Of free merchandise for the
first q even months. under the new tariff,was
SgS,9!2 1O7 greater than for the year iSoO. and
cir n . q 4. m, for t.n xf.ar
It should also he considered that sugar.
one of the principal articles of imports,
both In quantity and In value. was not ad
mittrd free of Guty until April 1, is9i. and
from that date the value as well as tile per
ccniage Of merchandise admitted free of
duty has been greatly increased. This VIII
be seen Il comparison be made of the i'm
ports of IN rchandI ~ for the five months
since April !, Isni. with the corresponding
period of ls91 The value OF the imports of
merchandise for the five months from April
to August 81, 1S9i, was SJjJ.12j,2 9. OF which
300 3;, g7. or 81. 10 per cent was free of duty,
much the largest per cent Ia the imports of
merchandise free cf duty In the entire his
tory nf the government. In the correspond
ing fiv. months Of 1880 the value of the i'm
port. of mcr 'hand.sc WAS s35 .2Si.sG, of
which SIS s2l. .iii. only 81. q per cent, was
fire. This shows an incrrIs; In the value
of free merchandise of ss.,1I2.G5i, rnd of
q ~ in the percentage thereof during the
five months cHdnG August 81. isHl, over the
corresponding period OF ls:O The articles
of free merchandise upnn which there was
such an increase are largely those not pro-
duccd in this country, necessities which
daily enter into the consumption of the peO-
pie such "a sugar, coffee. crude india rub
Der, chemicals, drugs, hides, skins. fruits.
nuts, etc.
DUfIABLE IMPORTS Under THE NEW TARIFF
During the eleven months from October /.
1880, to August 81, 1881, under the operation
of the new tar n. the value of imports or du
table merchandise was ssgs. SO 52y, while
during the corresponding period of the pre-
ccding year the value of dutiable merchan-
disc was Sisi. .s>l .39i, showing a decrease for
eleven months under the new tariff of S..
I.76I in the value Of mcrchand sc paying
duty II may also be noted that the total
value Of the imports for the eleven months
s16a. .2lU. .G5. exceeded in value the imports
Uf any year IN the history of our govern
mrnt, excepting the fiscal year 1890. when
their value was S7s9.5i0,i0a II, however,
the imports Of September, 1891, equal those
OF August. the total imports will largely cx-
cced those of 1890
REDUCTION Of THE CUSTOMS REVENUE.
Since the enactment of the new tariff Jaw
there has been i large reduction in the Ieve
nue. from customs. This was contemplated
in the bill itself, which recitcd at Its had ::
"An act to reduce the revenue" etc. II will
he observed there WAS during the year n re-
ductiOn in the customs revenue of .II.s9j,
q -ig. Notwithstanding there was 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-
tobcr, 1891, the month In which the new
tariff went lnto effect. The new law did not
20 into effect until the 9th and the imports
of merchandise and the withdrawal
of merchandise from warehouses imiuedi-
atcIy prior to thlt date was very large. The
reduction of the revenue from customs dur.
ing the three quarters ending September 81.
1881. as compared with the same period of
the prior year, was 4j,oii.s's2l, 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 men J.
toned above. II will be remembered, how e
ever, that the principal article of our i'm
ports of merchandise from which the duty
WAS removed is sugar. and br the prov
ions of the new tariff law the removal of
this duty did not take effect until April /,
lsgi.
During the two quarters since that date 1t
will be seen that the reduction in customs
revenue, as compared with the same period
of the prior year. amounted to 81, $50 .29Ll2.
From this it will reasonably appear that the
reiuc ions for an entire year will be fully as
large, il not In excess of the amount con-
templated in the enactment of the new
tariff law. II further appears from the
above table that the total receipts from Gus
toms during the twelve months prior to the
passage of the new tariff were s231 ,G9' 49,. IS,
and for the first twelve months after tha
enactment of the new tar n law the receipts
were sIgi, ,Sn2, 90 i.95. The customs revenue
collected during the first period of twelve
months per capita OF population was
s3.s and during the second period s. OF,
or n reduction per capita OF - cents.
The reduction in customs revenue has
been greatly accelerated nee April last
when the duty was removed from sugar II
appears from the table that the custom S
revenue per capita Of population collected
during the months end n: september so
1891, was only 81 81 IL the customs revenue
collected during the following SIX months
cnding March 81, 1892, should be in the same
proportion, the customs revenue per capita
collected during the year ending with the
latter date would he only %. 80, or n reduc-
tion of 81 2 per capita of population in Gus
IONS revenues collected for that year Tnis
would be the lowest revenue per capita col