Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-09-27
FREE LIST SAVINGS.

country many millions of dollars 1t
will save them directly more than SILL
900, COO, the amount of tax paid in 1898
on the principal articles now added to
the list 1t will save them the much
larger sum that the protected manu-
facturers and producers were enabled
by the tariff to charge for the domestic
articles.
The duty on some of the articles
now placed on the free list was pro-
hibitory- For example, the duty on
petrole UNI shut out all foreign compe-
tition- The tax on binding Irvine
was SO large that it gave to the cord
| age trust the monopoly of the business
and enabled it to fix its own price. 1t
is evident, therefore, that the tax
must have cost the farmers more than
the S249.79 which was the whole
amount collected by the government
on binding Irvine in 1898.
The duty on hoop and band iron
manufactured wholly or partially into
ties was also nearly prohibitory. In
1898 the government received only
S12,211 from this tax. and this was
paid by the farmers who grow cotton.
1t was not all that these farmers paid,
however, for the tax of 40 per cent.
| permitted the ironmasters of Pennsyl-
vania to increase their prices to the
point at which Importation was too ex-
pensive to be profitable. Under the
new law the cotton planters will be
! relieved of the tax on the iron ties for
| their bales.
| The wheat-growers will be benefited
| still more. Besides binding-twine,
burlaps and bags for grain are made
| free. The tax paid on these articles
amounted in 1898 to the very large sum
of 81, OPS, S31. The farmer did not paw
all of this, but he paid a good deal of
it. and he will find that the removal of
the tax will make his crops of grain
more valuable to him.
Another article which is necessary
to the farmer is salt. In 1898 the tax
collected on salt amounted to 1902, 900.
For many years the fish-pacters of
| New England have had their salt free
of duty, but the farmers have paid the
tax on the salt used by them for cur
! ing pork and feeding their cattle. Now
both stand on an equal footing under
the revenue law of the country.
Among other benefits of the new
tariff law is the reduction in duties on
hats, hannels, shawls and blankets.
These necessaries of life were enor-
mously taxed under the Mckinley act.
Cheap foreign fannels, hats, shawls
and blankets were practically prohib-
tied, the tax on them being heavier.
according to their value, than the tax
on the more expensive articles of the
same classes.
In 1898 the tax on fianne1s valued at
80 cents a pound was SIS per cent. Only
So worth OF these cheap goods was
| ;,~Do-fa1 Eflonnalc no
average 50 cents a pound paid a tax at
the rate of 1U313 per cent. The value OF
the imports of these hannels in that
year was 1851. The tax on flannels at is
cents was 1854 per cent. FIannels
worth 95 cents u pound paid tax OF
9615 per cent. and the imports were
worth SIS, 1913.
The cheapest blankets. worth %, 81
and 4s cents pound, paid taxes at the
rates of S64, 100 and 104 per cent. re-
spectively. Blankets worth 95 cents
| paid tax rate of 81 per cent.
The cheapest shawls imported, worth
35 cents a pound, were taxed at 1905
per cent; the dearest, worth 81. IA
paid $50 per cent
The tax on the cheapest hats was So
1868 and 1O44 per cent OF the cheap
est only $685. worth was imported in
1898, and on these a tax of S4.5 was
paid. The dearest hats paid tax o1
S74 per cent
This inequality of taxation was due
to the specific duty on the pound. The
Mckinley tax on these articles was
mixed, part specific and part ad va
loren. For example, the tax on the
cheapest shawls imported was 3S1s
cents a pound and 40 per cent. on the
value. The tax on the high-pr1ced
shawls was Al cents a pound and 81
per cent. The very cheapest shawls
were absolutely prohibited by the Nc
Kinley act. The tax on shawls worth
81 cents pound was heavier in pro
portion to their value than the tax or
shawls worth 81. IA a pound.
The new Jaw. which goes into eff
feet January /, 1895, as to wooler
, goods, correEts this inequality. The
duty on these articles is based entire
lv on their value. Under the new Law
hats, shawls, hanne1s and blanket:
that cost the most will pay the highes
rates of duty. The cheapest will bt
taxed at % per cent, the next at 81
per cent and the dearest at 35 pc
cent. and 40 per cent
Under the old law a cheap shaw
bought in Germany for so cents would
have cost S1.25 with the duties added
Under the new law it will cost 60
cents, or little more than one-half--
|