The weekly tribune., 1892-02-13
rHE SEW WOuI. SCHEDULE.
40 Un"hwHrh step win BE Taken III
Iarin Reform.

40 Hn"hwarh step win BE Taken IN
TariT Reform,
WhsHNuroN, Feb. TO- There has
been a substantial agreement reached
by the wool and woolcna special commit
tee Of The democratic majority of the
house committee on ways and means on
the provisions Of the wool bill. This
special committee by agreement among
democratic members was charged with
the duty of considering the Springer
wool bill drafting any proposed modif-
cations and gathering special nforma-
ton relating to wool growing acd wooden
manufactures. Its members have
agreed upon The changes in the duties
they viii recommend and conference
of democratic members Of the commit
tee has been called for. tomorrow morning
at which the matter will he formally
considered.
AS the special committee numbers five
out of the ten democratic members Of
the ways and means committee. it rs be-
lievcd the agreement reached embOdies
the provisions of a free wool bill. which
the ways and means committee will
recommend to the house for passagc.
The changes to he made in the bill as
introduced by Springer have not yet
been formally drafted and it will be
some days before the bill is put in shape.
Very substantial reductions have been
made in the duties on wooden nanufac-
tures proposed by the bill as introduced
by Springer. Adj valOrem duties ON
WOODEN manufactures Of all kinds. in.
Guiding cloths. dress goods. carpets, and
all other WOODEN articles imposed under
the Mckinley law, and which rates were
left unchanged by the Springer bill
have been cut down wherever IN excess
of 40 per cent. and the average rate OF
duty proposed by the new bill on WOODEN
manufactures is about jprr cent below
the uniform rate Of 40 per cent fixed by
the Mills bill.
Under the agreement reached wool rs
made free. as proposed by the Springer
bill. All duties on wooden manufactures
where they are 10 per cent or less
under the present law. are left un-
changcd: where more than 10 per cent
they are reduced to that rate, so that nc
, NDblcD tttltS Will ~ HiSlltT lllull llt
Mills rate and those on cheaper grades
of goods will be less. Cndcr the Me.
Kinley law duties range from 30 to &c
per cent ST. that there is reduction of
20 per cent made from the highest rate
now imposed and the average rate is
brought down to about - per cent
On shoddies and waste the agreement
adopts the Springer rate Of 80 per cent
against the present rate Of 30 cents pei
pound. All compensatory duties o
course are taken off, as raw wool is made
free, so that the present per pound ant
per yard duties will be abolished if tn,
bill become law and only AL valoren
duties retained. Members OF the com
mittee say the wool bill will be the prin
cipal measure reported from the com
mittee. and that an examination OF it!
provisions when formally announced vii
show that not only has mo backward
step been taken in the direction of tariff
reform. but that a step in advance has
been taken of considerable importance
and that. on the wool schedule. regarded
by all tariff -reformers as the key to the
protective tariff system. the reductions
are made greater than those proposed 10y
democrats two years ago.