Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-27


the immense deposits OF Bessemer ores in
the lake region and Of foundry ores IN
Alabama has rapidly swept us to the lead
ership of the world in the production of
iron and steel. and brought near at hand
our undisputed supremacy In the great
field of manufactures. 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
S6.I2 per ton, which is from 30 to 50 per cent,
to uniform duty of - IL per cent. a rate
somewhat higher in proportion than the
rest OF the schedule. because of cheap
freight rates on foreign pig. it being a IA
vorite freight on westward voyages. Steel
ralls we reduce from 13.4i per ton now,
40 per cent, to % per cent. As the pool
winch has kept up prices so many years in
TINS country seems now disorganized the
other producers will soon need protection
more against Mr.. Carnegie at Pittsburg
ana MI. Stirling at Chicago than against
foreign producers.
The residue of the schedules varies from
70 to 20 per cent, wood screws being put
az the latter figure. Beams and Orders are
80 per cent, because of the waste in cut
ting beams and the variety Of lengths and
sizes, and also OF the frequent necessity
OF changing the rolls in making beams and
girders, because OF the irregular quantities
and lengths and sizes Of orders. Tin plates
than one-haff of the Mckinley rate This
Is revenue duty, and at the same time
enough to permit any existing mills to live
and flourish.
Cheaper grades Of pocket cutlery are 85
per cent. higher grades As. Table cutlery
Is put at 30 per cent. These are very SUBJ
stantiai reductions from present rates,
Wnlcn being specific reach in some grades
OF pocket cutlery as high as 90 per cent
but with release Of taxes on raw ma.
teriais. especially on pearl and ivory for
handles. seems ample.
Both copper ores and pig conner are mazda
free, we being large exporters of the latter
and the duty serving only to enable the
producers to sell higher to our people than
Nickel Is free. Lead ore has a small dutv
OF 10 per cent. Pig lead one cent a pound.
silver lead ores restored to the free
nst. Onmanufactured lumber 10 free Man
uIactured is put at 25 per cent, with the
proviso that If any export duties are
charged on foreign lumber II shall be adj
mitted only at the rates now existing.
Sugar and Tobacco.
Sugar has been a difficult subject to deal
with. Raw sugar was transferred to the
free list by the Mckinley bill, because near
iy all the taxes paid on # went to the pub
lie treasury. A strong desire among some
members of the committee was to put an
ad valorem duty of 20 or rs per cent on 1t.
and to abolish the bounty at once After
much consideration it was decided to re-
duce by one-half the duty on refined sugar.
and to repeal the bounty one-eighth each
year. leaving raw sugar untaxed as at
present.
In the tobacco schedule those rates were
sought which would bring most revenue
The present taxes of 50 and 81. 20 a pound
on wrapper leaf have blotted out many
small establishments, and actually impaired
revenue. We make the rates 81 and 81 %
per pound on wrapper leaf and 35 cents
and so cents per pound on filler tobacco,
unstemmed and stemmed in each. Manu-
features of tobacco are put at 40 cents.
Cigars are reduced from $3.50 per pound
and % per cent ad valorem to So per pound
and % per cent. which is believed to be the
most productive revenue rate, and Is higher
than tbs law Of 1883.
Live animals are put at 20 per cent. Bar
ley is reduced from 30 cents per bushei to
~ per cent which Is about II cents.
Breadstuffs. of which we are immense ex-
porters, are made free, except when I'M
ported from countries putting duties on our
like products, in which case the duty Is 20
per cent.
Fresh vegetables, fruits. eggs and like
food products are untaxed for the benefit
of our own consumers, largely the working
people of the cities.
Salt in bulk is free: in packages the salt
is free. but the covering dutiable at rates
prescribed for like articles.
The tariff on spirits is put at double the
internal revenue rates on like spirits and
some slight reduction is made on still
wines. malt liquors. ginger ale and like
beverages in the interest of increased rev.
enue The duty on sparkling wines is like
wise slightly reduced for the same reasons,
that on champagne being put at 81 per
dozen quarts. as against 81 in the Mckinley
bill and Sc in the law of 1883.
Cotton Manufactures.
In cotton manufactures substantial re-
auctions are made, especially on cheap
cloths and prints. and the existing system
of taxing by count of threads in the square
inch is retained.
Hemp and fax are made free; dressed line
of hemp and fax 1 cent and l-2 cents re-
spectively. Burlaps and cotton and grain
bagging are put at Is per cent but when
imported for covering articles to be ex-
ported are duty free.
Wool is made free This takes the stills
from under wooden manufactures and be-
gets the hope that they may recover from
the languishng condition in which they
nave been for a quarter of a century, and
that we may get wooden goods at reasona-
BILE rates instead of at duties that on the
common grades frequently reach 100 per
merciless figure. Cloths and dress goods are
put at 40 per cent. Clothing at As per cent
rates higher than the committee desired
but deemed temporarily necessary because
our manufacturers have SO long been ex-
Guided from two-thirds of the woods of the
world that they will have to learn the art
of manufacturing with free wool A sliding
scale is therefore added by which the rates
IN the wooden schedule are to come down
fve points. with the lapse of five years
carpets. an Industry in which We will soon
ne independent OF competition, are put at
35 per cent for Administer Moquette and
Wilton, 30 per cent for Brussels while
common grades go down to 20 per cent
The bill provides that the duties shall no
removed from wool on March and reduced
on wooden goods July 1.
In the silk schedule the reduction of rates
Is smaller than In cotton or wooden fabrics
Sole leather Is reduced from 10 to 3 per
cent. Leather gloves are classified accord
ing to material and length and are uniform
ly rated at specific duties which average
not over p per cent on the common vari-
eties and near 40 per cent on the fine lamb
ana KID gloves. In the schedule of supdrjes
many articles. like hatters' plush, are put on
the free list. The duty on cut diamonds.
pearls and other precious stones Is In
creased.
Free Works of Art.
Works OF art. I am delighted to saw.
put back on the free list The above Is a
rapid summary Of the chief changes made
by the proposed bill and will give a salts
factory idea, I believe of Its general struc-
ture- 1t Is estimated that 1t will reduce
revenue on the basis of the importations of
1892 about s50.00O,0tU. with an immensely
larger decrease of tax burdens to the Amer
lean people. The administrative law is re-
ported with a few amendments, suggested
by experience of its operation. That law
was chiefly prepared by Mr. Hewitt when he
was in Congress, and the changes proposed