The gold leaf., 1893-12-07

transferred to the free list quite a
number of articles used in manutac-
lures, the most important OF which IS
sulphuric acid. one Of the corner stones
of all chemical industry. The duty on
castor oil is reduced from 80 to 80
cents per gallon, and the duty on I'm
seed oil. which was secretly raised to
80 cents bv the conference committee
on the Mckinley bill. after each House
had openly voted for lower duty, we
put at Is cents a gallon. Pig lead be-
inc reduced from . to l cent pound,
lead paints are correspondin9ly reduced.
1.-The Mckinley bill increases the
duty on opium prepared Tor smoking 70
Sl2 pound in the vain hope OF lessen
inc its importation. The custom house
officers on the Pacific coast declare
that this increase of duty has simply
placed in the hands Of smugglers the
bringing i'll Of opium to the demorallza-
ton Of the custom service, and the loss
Of over $500, 900 in revenue. The duty
proposed is believed to be cOllectabIe
and will put the traffic under govern
mcnt control and supervision.
I'm the pottery schedule substantial
reductions are made. Plain white ware
is dropped from the high schedule IN
which it mystcriously crowded itself.
Decorated ware is reduced from 60 to
As per cent, undeCoratcd from 81 to AZ
per cent.
I'm common window glass, where
close combinations have kept up the
prices to consumers under the shelter
of duties averaging 100 per cent, re-
duction Of more than one-halt has been
made i'll all the larger sizes. There IS
no doubt that these rates will permit a
very healthy growth Of the industry
here.
"In plate glass reductions are made,
the largest sizes from 80 cents to 30
cents per square foot, of sllvered from
60 cents to 35 cents.
"In the iron and steel schedule we
began with free ore. The discovery
of the immense deposits Of bessemer
ores in the lake region and Of foundry
ores in Alabama has rapidly swept us
to the leadership Of the world III the
production Of iron and steel, and
brOloht near at hand our undlsputed
supremacy in the great field of man
utacturcs. The use of steam shOVels
reduces the cost of mining to a point
where the wages paid "natural labor
are irrelevant. Pig iron we reduce
from $5.12 per ton, which Is from %
| to 90 per cent, to uniform duty OF
22A per cent. rate somewhat higher
in proportion than the rest of the
on foreign pig, it being iavorlte
| freight on westward voyages. Steel
rails we reduce from &l3.44 per ton,
now - per cent. AS the pool which
| has kept up the price 50 many years III
| this country seems now dlsOrganlZed ,
the other producers will soon need pro-
! lection more against Mr.. Carnegie, at
Pittsburgh, and Mr.. Stirling, at Chi
cago, than against foreign producers.
The residue Of the schedules varies
| from 25 to 80 per cent, wood screws
| being put at the latter figure. Iron
beams and girders are 35 per cent. be-
cause OF the waste in cutting beams
&lu the variety Of lengths and sizes,
aud Of the frequent necessity OF chang
ing the rolls in making beams and grid
er>, because of the irregular quantities
and lengths and sizes of orders. Tin
plates are reduced to 40 per cent, a
! little more than one-half Of the Nc
kinlev rate. This is Il revenue duty.
and at the same time enough TO per-
NIT any existing mills to live and flour
ish. Cheaper grades Of pocket cutlery
are 80 per cent; higher grades, 10.
Table cutlery is put at 30 per cent.
These are very substantial reductions
from present rates, which, being spe-
cific, reach in some grades of pocket
cutlery as high as so per cent, but
with release of taxes on raw materials
and especially on pearl and ivory for
handles, they seem ample.
Both copper ores and pig copper
ores arc made free, we being large eX.
porters of the latter and the duty sery.
ING only to enable the producers to sell
higher to our people than to foreigners
'.Nicklc is free. Lead ore has &
small duty of Is per cent. Pig lead is
one cent pound. Silver lead ores arc
restored to the free list. Unmanufac-
tured lumber is free :; manufactured is
put at % per cent, with the provisC
that if any export duties are charged
on foreign lumber it shall be admitted
only at the rates now existing.
Sugar has been a difficult subiec
to deal with. Raw sugar was trans
terred to the free list by the Mckinley
bill, because nearly all taxes paid on i
went to the public treasury. \ strone
desire among some members of tn,
committee was to put an al raloren
duty of % or 25 per cent. on it and t(
abolish the bounty at once. Afte
much consideration it was decided t,
reduce by one half the duty on re tinet
sugar, and to repeal the bounty one
eighth each year, leaving raw suga
untaXed as at present.
u In the tobacco schedule those rate
were sought which would bring mos
revenue. The present taxes Of s. ant
$2.15 per pound on wrapper leaf have
blotted out many small establishment
and actually impaired revenue w,
make the rates 81 and $l.25 per pounC
on wrapper leaf and 80 and 50 cent
per pound on filler tobacco unstemmeC
and stemmed in each. Manufacture
OF tobacco are put at 10 cents. Cigar
are reduced from 81. so per bound an,
- per cent. al ra'orem, to $500 pc
pound and % per cent, which is be
lleyed to be the most pro luctive rev
enue rate, and is higher than the Law
of 1888.
Live animals are put at 20 pc
cent.
BARLEY is reduced from so cent
per bushel to 20 per cent. which i
about II cents Bread stutfs. of whicl
we are immense exporters. are mad,
free, except when imported from coun
tries putting duty on our like products
in which case the duty is 20 per cent
Fresh vegetables. fruits, eggs an,
like food products are untaXed for til,
benefit of our own consumers, largel,
the working people of the cities.
salt in bulk is free; in package
H. - E.