Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-04
AGREEMENT AT HAND
The President viii Sign a Tariff Bill
In Ten Days.
NEW SUGAR SCHEDULE.
The Duty 10 BE Collected on tho BASIS Of
saccharine strength-The
Differential.


Cabinet meeting to-day four members an
nounced. each to different person. that
an agreement had been reached by the
Senate and House conferrees on the tariff
bill. The basis Of agreement was not dis
closed, but one of the most distinguished
members Of the Cabinet said to a United
Press representative: "You can annuonce
that the President will sign tariff bill
within ten days"
The explanation of this. which Is cur
rent at the Capitol. is that sugar sche-
dule has been agreed upon and has been
accepted by the House conferrees as fol-
lows:
Forty per cent. ad valorem on all raw
sugar, and the same amount on all re-
fined sugar. the duty to be collected. now
ever, on the basis of the saccharine
strength. In addition to this. there Ia TO
be a diferential to thf refiner of 10 OF
cent a pound, and a discriminating duty
against those countries that pay an ex-
port bounty on refined sugar equivalent
to the bounty so paid. 1t is understooo
that the government will also regulate III
some way the prices Of foreign sugars so
as TO prevent any attempt to juggle with
the quotations
Every member of the conference de-
MES that there has been any agreement
but sufficient has leaked from the con-
ference-room and through such sources
that there can be no longer any reason
TO doubt that they have agreed as 10
what they will DO when the time comes
to act. The House conferrees nave al
WAYS held that there was hidden away
I'm the schedule Of the Senate bill pro-
lection 10 the trust that greatly aug
mented the dinerential Of is that was
given them, and they have contcnded
that this should be removed. Upon thls
basis they made the demand that the
text of the bill should be changed. and
I'm a spirit Of concession the Senate, to
this extent yielded.
REVISED SUGAR SCHEDULE.
AS now prepared. the sugar schedule
will provide for the levying OF the follow
ing duties: On all raw and refined sugars,
40 per cent advalorem; the same rate as
heretofore hut with this difference, that
the duty will be based, not on the price
per pound nor the mere pound of the
article purchased, but upon the saccharine
strength of the sugar found in the total
amount If the sugar is raw, the duty
will be collected upon only the pure sugar
that 1t contains. and when 1t comes 10
the collection of duty on refined sugar.
instead of the collection being made upon
the value of the refined article. II Will be
based upon the value and amount OF
pure sugar necessary TO make the refined
product.
In this way it is claimed :here VI lie
absolutely no hidden protection Tor the
trust, and that nothing can accrue to
them through the process of refining.
The refiner will be given diferential
duty of Is n pound on reiined
sugar. and a discriminating duty levied
against such countries as pay an export
bounty on refined sugar equivalent 20
the amount of that bounty. IL Is hgu'ed
ont by those who advocate this uuty tndt
II is not any better for the trust tnah
the former schedule, although this IS de-
MED in other quarters.
II Is also said that the House confer
rees will accept this as solution d '"e
problem. and that they Will claim IT as
n victory because it does away with tie
alleged hidden protection.
The next step after the House agreed
20 accent this schedule was 20 ma out
If the refining interests woulc take H. IL
is understood that the senators VINO nave
cared for this interest were consulted ana
tiat they reluctantly accepted the acne1-
ule as the best that could be had ana
agreed that it would not be antaS-
OniZed. -
REPORT EARLY NEXT WEEK.
If this schedule is finally Determined
upon to-morrow-for there is always the
possibility Of change at the last mo-
ment-it is quite probable that the re-
maindcr of the bill may be speedily us
posed of, and there is "A hope that the
fun conference may be had Monday ana
the report made to the Senate early In the
week. The apost OF the day was con-
sumed in "a discussion of the other scned-
ules and there is now n pretty clear uh-
derstanding as to what shall be done
with the rest Of the bill.
1t is said tonight that the LOUISIANA
senator's and Messrs. Allen and Kyle, the
latter representing the beet-sugar INDUS
try. will not accept the proposed schedule.
II this Is true. IL Is not apparent now the
Democrats expect 10 pass the bill. There
| IS no provision in the schedule for bounty
for 1891 and both the Louisiana senator's
have declared that unless this bounty *
nut i'm th- bill they cannot support II.
Ii Is probable that tomorrow night the
situation will have crystallized into some
thing tangible, and that the outcome VIII
| be known with some degree OF deinite-