St. Paul daily globe., 1892-02-11
NO BACKWARD STEP.
Synopsis OF the Wool Bill to
Be Presented in the
House.
A Step in Advance, on Reduc-
tionS--PropOsed New
Duties.
Substantial Attack on Tariff
Taxes That May Pass the
Senate.
Speaker Crisp Gives BANDS
Bill a Position on the
Calendar.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-1here has
been substantial agreement reached
by the wool and wOOlenS special COM
mittee of the Democratic majority OF
the house committee on ways and
means on the provisions of the wool
bill. This special committee, by agree
ment among the Democratic members,
was charged with the duty of consider
ing the Springer wool bill. drafting any
proposed notifications and gathering
special information relating to wool
growing and woolen manufactures.
Its members have agreed upon the
changes in duties they will recommend,
and a conference of the Democratic
members of the committee has been
called for tomorrow morning. at which
the matter Will be formally considered.
AS the Specirl committee numbers five
out of the ten Democratic members of
the ways and means committee, it is be-
heyed that the agreement reached en-
bodies the provisions of the free wool
bill which the ways and means commit
tee will recommend to the house for
passage. The
Changes TO BE Made
in the bill as introduced by Mr.. Springer
have not yet been formally drafted, and
ii will be some days before the bill is
put in shape. Very substantial reduc-
tions have been made in the duties on
wOoen manufactures proposed by the
bill as introduced by Mr.. Springer.
The ad yalorem duties OH WOODEN manu-
factures of all kinds, including cloths,
dress goods, carpets and all other
Woolen articles, imposed under the Nc
klnley law, and which rates were left
unchanged by the Springer bill, have
been cut down wherever i'll excess of 40
per cent, and the average rate of duty
proposed by the new bill on WOODEN
manufactures is about ) per cent below
the uniform rate OF 10 per cent fixed by
the Mills bill.
Under the agreement reached wool is
made free, as proposed by the Springer
bill: all duties on Woolen manufactures
where 40 per cent or less under the
present law are left unchanged, where
more than 40 per cent they are reduced
TO that rate, so that 10 woolen duties
will be higher than the Mills rate, and
those on the cheaper grades of goods
will be less. Under the Mckinley law
duties range from 80 to 60 per cent, so
that there is a reduction of 20 per cent
made from the highest rate now i'm
posed, and
The Average Rate
Is brought down to about 35 per cent.
On shOddles and waste the agreement
adopts the Springer rate of SO per cent
against a present rate of 80 cents per
pound. All compensatory duties. of
course, are taken off, as raw wool is
made free. so that the present per pound
and per yard duties will be abolished if
the bill becomes a law, and only ad val
orem duties retained.
Members of the committee say that
the wool bill VIII be the principal meas
ure reported from the committee and
that an examination of its provisions
when formally announced will show
that not only has mo backward step''
been taken in the direction Of tariff re-
form. 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, reductions are
made greater than those proposed bv
the Democrats two years ago. A care
full consideration of the bill, tney be-
lieve, will show that it is proposed to
make substantial attack on the tariff
and at the same time one which NAV
have fair show of passage through
the senate and of becoming law.