The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-18
NUTS TO CRACK.
Copra-Dealers Caught for
Thousands.
SOME EXPENSIVE CARGOES
One Firm May Have to Paw Out
a Fortune for Duty.
THE ALMY'S TWO HUNDRED TONS
Many Other Lots Bargained For Be-
fore Change of Tariff Was
Effected Are Due.
THE ALMY's TWO HUNDRED TONS

The rise and fall of the cocoanut will
next De added as supplementary history to
the Varlegated remains Of the Wilson
tariff BILL So far as the United States are
concerned the copra traders and dealers
Ia husky nuts are preparing 20 cease she'll
Ing monkey food and take to cracking nuts
pOntlc. AS a number of San Francisco
merchants have suffered from the effects
OF too much ad valorem tax on the articles
In question it is well to devote a little
space to the plight Of wilkins & Co..
the captain of the bark Helen w. Amy,
and the line of white traders that do busi-
ness. between this port and Tahiti.
Mr.. Wilson, in remote corner of his
bill, has provided for an assessment of so
per cent ad valorem on copra and 60 per
cent on cocoanuts. Wilkins 81 Co. are
stuck for S7200 duty on inbound nuts
barRained for before the tariff Weut into
effect. Captain Luttrell is in the hole for
200 IONS of dutiable cOprs, and other
traders are threatened with q n avalanche of
taxation that would take all the CONNER
cial spirit out of millionaire, much less
an transformations barterer in OIl-producIng
star les. Nearly six months ago the new
oil works at Berkeley, seeming profit altar
and giving little heed 10 the shadow Of
Democratic coming events, sent a special
agent to Samoa, Tahiti and other places
with instructions to buy up or contract for
100000 tons of cOcOanuts, to be shipped to
San francisco per vessels to be named
thereafter by the purchasers. This con-
Germ Is now in a position to have to paw
to the United States something like
$4,000 in duty it did not figure on.
Captain Luttrell of the Almy, which has
juSt come In with a cargo of nuts, is in
stew over the results OF his long, hard
chase after business in the South Seas
ia ba
for moment that Congress would take
the trouble TO bother about cOcOanut oil;
but that is just where he made mistake.
The barkentine TrOpic Bird is due here
any day, and probably has cargo of 800
tons of nuts. 1t is reported that thew
were also bargsined for before the Wilson
bill was passed.
Another firm that will lose money is the
concern of Wichman & Co., who, how
ever, were to a certain extent prepared for
what was coming and knew pretty well
what they were about when they com
menced buying. They have. nevertheless,
about 600 tons Of nuts, which we're ad-
mltted only after good big bill for duty
was pail.
"COcoanut OIL" explained dealer and
manufacturer, lis nearly all made in Ger
many, and the straDgest Inconsistency of
me new tariff measure is that it admits
this oil free of duty, while an enormously
increased tax Is put upon the raw mate
rial.
About 100000 pounds of copra finds
It's way to fore Igner manufacturers every
three months from just one certain group
OF Islands alone, and this raw material IS
made into oil and shipped into this coun-
Try free.
Il have heard great deal about the big
sum OF money for which traders, who
knew nothing about the contemplated
change in the tariff, are stuck. There is
only one explanation TO be made. and that
IS that nobody suspected for one moment
that Wilson and his cOherents would deIgn
to bother about changing the Old tariff
laws, because under them the oil was taxed
and the raw material entered by payment
OF a small duty.
Pr0tectlOn against the manufactured ar
ticIes is what we wanted. Without IL our
island trade is bound to die out. | believe
that certain firm IN San Francisco stands
TO lose $50, 900 on copra contracted for be-
fore the raise of tariff. These people will
probably turn right around and snip to
Europe, thus depriVlng this country of its
just trade"
Yes, | am caught with 200 tons of dutl-
able cargo" said Captain Luttrel, when
questioned, ''apd do not propose to shout
tor Democracy any more. The tax is un-
just and viii greatly injure the trade of
this port especially"
great deal of interest will be taken
from this time on by shippers and traders
IN vessels haling from the South Seas with
cargoes of nuts and copra.