Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-09-26
THEY ARE AFTER FACTS.
What the Senate's Tariff Com.
mittees Are Doing.
EX-sPEAKER CARLISLE EXPLAINS

The Work IL Not Connned 70 an Hn~sstl
cation OF the Mckinley TarIn Bii
Alone but Tarir Laws Generally, ant
the Cost Of Living Are Ineiuded Also
NEW YORK, Sept s6-The suboommit
zee OF tho senate committee on finance
which was appointed TO make an exhaus
tive inquiry into the workings OF the tarttI
laws, have begun their public inquiry a
the Fifth Avenue hotel The members OF
the subcommittee are Senators Nelson w,
Aldrieh, Of Rhode Island; William b. All
iiSon, OF Iowa; Frank Hisoock, OF New
York Isham G. Harris. Of Tennessee, and
John 9. Carlisle, Of Kentucky. Plans Of
work are under discussion today.
Senator cAriisle's Statement
Senator Carlisle has prepared a state.
ment showing the SCOPE and powers OF the
subcommittee, the nature Of che work
which 1t has thus far accomplished, what
It y doing now, and what it proposes tc
DO. He says: 1T seems to be quite gener-
ally supposed that we are simply inauir
ing into the effects Of the late tariff act
commonly known as the Mckinley bill.
where In fact we are directed by the reso-
luton OF the senate to investigate and n.
port upon the effects OF tariffs generally
without special reference to any particular
measure This OF course, covers a wide
field Of inquiry.
We were unanimously OF the opinion
that we should ascertain actual facts aud
not listen to mere opinions, and accord.
ingly we have not granted hearings to par.
ties interested, but have proceeded through
our own selected agents and experts Ia
collect such information as we desired
What They Are After.
In short, we are proceeding to ascar
tain the facts relating TO prices, wages.
cost OF living, etc. by the same methods
that are adopted In taking a census or col
lecting other statistics.
When we have got the facts we viii
draw our own conclusions, and then there
may be wide differences of opinion among
us, but up TO tho present time we have
been unanimous In our proceedings.
We have agreed upon list Of more
than 200 articles In common use amona
the people, and have been getting the re.
tail prices Of those articles at about seven.
" representative cities in the United
States from September, 1889, to Sepeem.
Der, 1891, and the wholesale prices Of the
same articles for the same period at six oi
the most important cities. This work has
been done through the agents Of the de.
partment Of labor at Washington and a
nearly completed.
The Wages OF LRborers.
"The subcommittee Is also procurina
the Wholesale prices Of a great number oi
articles, foreign and domestic, for period
ot nfty years. The wages Of laborers IN
mining and mercantile industries and IN
agriculture will also be Rscertained for AZ
long a period as possible, and an effort will |
oe made to ascertain the average annual
cost OF living Of great number OF repre-. |
sentative families having an income rang |
ing from $500 70 81 900, so that we may be |
able to determine about how much Is ex. /
pended for clothing, food Of different
kinds, rent aud other items.
In Agrtcuiturs's Field.
I'VE propose also to ascertain the prices
OF agricultural products at the farms for a
series OF years and the cost Of transporta.
tlon 70 the markets. It is our purpose To
conduct the investigation from the stand
point OF the consumer as far as possible
IN other words, we propose TO begin the
investigation Of prices in what may be
called the primary market and trace the
articles until they reach the consumer.
We want 70 find what prices the consumer
has at different times been compelled to
pay for the necessaries of life and why be
las been compelled to pay those prices.
whether II has been on account Of tariffs.
y cost OF transportation, or the extortiops
II middlemen, or other cause
To Investigate the Tin Plate Industry.
Special inquiries will be made in re.
'ard to the proposed manufacture OF tin
nd terne plate in this country, and the
'rices at which 1t can now and hereafter
e procured. II is said that many new
ompanies and existing establishments
re preparing to engage in this new in
ustry, and we will endeavor to ascertain I
Il the facts in regard to them, where (
heir works are or will be located. pre- :
isely what they are now doing and what Z
hey propose in good faith to do hereafter 4
We Will not be able To present report. q
nink, until next spring or early ia the .
lmmer, as il will require a long time 70
1llect and arrange the material"