Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-28
That Schedule Discussed in the
Senate Today.
EFFORT TO RESTORE MCKINLEY RATE
Messrs. Hale, Frye and Perkins
Favor the Amendment.
NJ ALTERS IN THE HOUSE

When the Senate met at 10 o'clock today
to begin the ninth weeks debate on the
tariff the chamber was decked out in it's
summer vestments. The heavy red car
peting had been removed from the floor and
light mating substituted. making the
chamber look cool and inviting. The Sem
ators themselves. in white vests. looked as
IL they. too, had resigned themselves to the
prospect of a summer siege.
Twenty minutes were spent waiting for
a quorum TO put in an appearance Mr..
Kyle Of North Dakota then moved that the
Senate proceed with the consideration OF
his Hawaiian resolution. which came over
from last week. The motion was carried.
3e-iL But before action could be taken
The morning hour expired and the tariT
Dill! was laid before the Senate.
The Lumber Schedule.
The metal schedule was completed last
Saturday and today the Senate began the
consideration of schedule ID. page 81,
wood and manufactures of wood"
Mr.. Hale Of Maine offered as a new para
graph the provisions of the Mckinley law,
making sawed boards, etc, of henlock
white wood. sycamore, white pine and bass
wood 81 per thousand. other classes Of saw
ed lumber 8. and when lumber Of any sort
is planed or finished in addition to the ratee
above provided 81 per thousand additional
shall be levied for each side so planed or
finished.
Mr.. Hale made a vigorous protest against
Placing timber On the free list. The pres
ent rates, he declared offered but a modest
protection; the equivalent of about 8 per
cent ad valorem on pine and p per cent
on spruce. This was one of the greatest
II dustries in the country. Over S5s6OOO-
COO In capital were invested and over sl35-
100000 were annually paid in wages. II
&C al and iron and lead ore were to be pro-
tccted. why not lumber? He was not plead
Ing for local interest he said. The lum-
Der industry was as broad as the country.
u was confined 70 no section. although
Canadian competition would be most
severely felt by the lumber men Of Maine
and New Hampshire.
Mr.. Frye Against Reduced Duties
Mr.. Frye Me) supported Mr. Hale's
amendment. He discussed at some length
the effect Of reduction of duty on stump
age in Canada. Licenses TO cut lumber
are issued by the dominion government
IL the duty is reduced the price of permits
or licenses is increased. When the duty
on pine lumber was reduced this was done
The consumer was rot benefited. AS a
matter of fact the price of pine lumber in
creased 81 a thousand the following year.
There were many anomalies In the tariff
bill, he said but none more indefenslble
than that in the lumber schedule. Ample
protection was afforded TO planed lumber in
the bill No mill would complain. Yet the
labor cost of finishing lumber was but one
sixth of the cost of the lumber IN the
rough The lumber imported from Canada
lest year under the present duty represented
placed on the free list the lumber shipped
into this country would be Quadrupled
and 100000 days Of labor in the United
States would be displaced.
In addition 10 this Cai ada would control
just so much more of the coasting trade IL
lumber went on the free list. Over 3gOOD0
able-bodied men, M. Frye said were en-
gagged in the lumber ir dustry in the United
al
more than the wages received by Canadians
similarly employed.
Mr.. Vests Reply.
Mr. Vest (Mo) replied TO the Maine Sem
ators. None. he said. had been SO per-
sistent in their demand for protection as
the lumbermen from Maine, regardless Of
party. IL this were a local question. a
Msine question. there would be but one side
for il.
country OF the west were considered. the
people on whose farms grew no stick OF
timber, and who were obliged 10 bear the
full burden of lumber taxes, the question
assumed an entirely different aspect.
Yields 10 Mr.. Walsh.
At IL o'clock Mr.. Vest yielded the floor
to Mr.. Walsh. the new Senator from
Georgia, who delivered a carefully prepared
speech on the general subject of the tariff.
Mr.. Walsh finished his remarks at AS.
after having spoken one and three-quarter
hours.
The discussion of the lumber schedule was
then resumed.
Lumber on the Pacific Coast.
Mr.. Perkins California; supported Mr.
Hale's amendment TO restore the Mckinley
rates on rough lumber. The lumber in
dustry was one of the most important on
the Pacific coast he said. There were $40
saw mills in the Pacific coast states. turn
ing out 2.300. 100000 feet Of lumber annual
ly; 4o4 shingle mills, turning out zoo. .000.-
900 shingles the total product being valued
at S1.00O.Ooo. Over $1,000 persons were en-
gagged in the industry, exclusive OF those de-
pendent upon II. like the sailors engaged In
transporting lumber. II was unjust to open
the American market to the competition OF
British Columbia The argument that the
use of Canadian lumber would save our for
ests for future generations was. In his opin-
Ion. q specious one. /.
THE HOUSE.