The Opelousas courier., 1894-11-10
SAVINGS or THE FREE LIST,
uauy Millions Of DolIaes Saved to tn.
People of the Coantry.

uady Millions Of DolIaes saved to the
People Of the Coantry.
The additions to the free list in the
new tariff will save the people of this
country many millions of dollars. 1t
will save them directly more than SILL
600, 600, 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
petroleum 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 $a49.79 which was the whole
amount collected by the government
on binding Irvine in 1898.
The duty JbPPfaao 3 K-c iron
manufactured wholly or partially ato
ties was also nearly prohibitory. In
1898 the government received ony
$l2.211 from this tax, and this was
paid by the farmers who grow cotton.
1t vas not all that these farmers paid,
however, for the tax of 40 per cent.
permitted the ironmasters of Pennsyl-
yania to increase their prices to the
point at which Importation was toe 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 thAse articles
amounted in 1898 to the very large sum
of 81, 025. S31. The farmer did not pay
all Of this. but he paid a good deal of
it, and he will find that the remoyaI of
the AK 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 Oh salt amounted to $780,, 600.
For many years the tish-packers 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
anne classes.
In 1898 the tax ON tiannels valued at
30 cents a pound was So per cent. Only
So worth of these cheap goods was
imported. Flannels worth on the
average 81 n a pound paid a tax at
the rate of 1O31144 per cent. The value of
the imports of these hannels in that
year was 1851. The tax on fannels at AZ
cents was 1884 per cent. FIannels
worth IS cents a pound paid q tax of
9G155 per cent. and the imports were
worth SIS, 1928.
The cheapest blankets, worth %. "a
and 4s cents a pound, paid taxes at the
rates of Ss}4, 100 and 104 per cent. re-
spectively. Blankets worth e5 cents
paid a tax rate of 81 per cent.
The cheapest shawls imported, worth
IS cents a pound, were taxed at 15016
per cent; the dearest, worth S1.14,
paid s51a per cent.
The tax on the cheapest hats was So,
1861 and 1044 per cent. OF the cheap
est only $685. worth was imported in
1893, and on these a tax of $4.5s was
paid. The dearest hats paid q tax of
per cent,
This inequality of taxation vas due
to the specific duty on the pound. The
tax on these articles was
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-prlced
wal A cents a pound and so
per cent. The very cheapest shawls
were absolutely prohibited by the Nc
kinley act. The tax on shawls worth
s5 cents a pound was heavier in pro-
to their value than the tax on
worth 81. IA a ponnd.
The new law, which goes into eff
feet January 1, 1895, as to wooden
corrects this inequality. The
duty on these articles is based entire
ly on their value. Under the lew law
hats, shawls, fannels and blankets
shat cost the most will pay the highest
rates of duty. The cheapest will be
faxed at 25 per cent, the next at 80
per cent. and the dearest at IS per
cent. and 40 per cent.
Under the old law a cheap shawl
bought in Germany for so cents would
have cost ST. IS with the duties added.
Under the new law it will cost 67H
cents, or a little more than one-half.-
N. Y. World.
REVIVAL OF INDUSTRY.