Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-04
WITHIN TEN DAYS The Official Signature of Grover Cleveland Will Be Attached TO THE NEW TARIFF BILL The Bone of Contention, Sugar, Has at Last Been De-
 cided Upon.
TO THE NEW TARIFF BILL

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3.-After the cabinet meeting today four members an- nounced to different person that an agree ment had been reached by the senate and house conferees on the tariff bill. The basis of agreement was not disclosed, but one of the most distinguished members of the cabinet said to United Press repre- sentative: 'tYou can announce that the president will sign q tariff bill within ten days.''
 The explanation of this, which is current at the capital, is that a sugar schedule has been agreed upon and has been accepted by the house conferees, as follows: Forty per cent ad valorem on all raw sugar and the same amount on all refined sugar, the duty to be collected, however, on the basis of the saccharine strength. In addition to this there is to be differentiai to the re- finer of one- fifth of cent 8 pound and discriminating duty against those coun- tries that pay an export bounty on refined sugar equivalent to the bounty so paid.
 It is understood that the government will also regulate in some way the prices of foreign sugars so as to prevent any attempt to juggle with the quotations.
 Every member of the con ference denies that there has been any agreement. but
  room and through such sources that there can no longer be any reason 10 doubt that they have agreed as to what they will do when the time comes to act. The house conferees have always held that there was hidden away in the schedule of the senate bill protection to the trust that greatly augmented the differential Bc. that was given them, and they have contended that should be removed. Upon this basis they make the demand that the text of the bill should be changed, and in a spirit of con- ceesion, the senate to that extent yielded.
 As now prepared the sugar schedule will provide for the levying of the following duties: On all raw and refined sugars 40 per cent ad valorem, the same rate as here- tofore, but with this difference that duty will be based not on the price per pound, DOT the mere pound Of the article pur. chased, 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 it contains when it comes to tue collection of duty to refined sugar instead of collection being made upon the value of the refined article. It will be based upon the value and amount of pure sugar necessary to make the re- fined product. Iu this way, it is claimed, there will be absolutely no hidden protec. tion for the trust, and that nothing can accrue to them through the process of re- fining. The refined will be given differ ential duty of 1-5 of a cent pound on re- fined sugar, and discrimiu ating duty levied against such countries as pay an ex- port bounty on It fined sugar, equivalent 10 be amount of that bounty.
 His figured out by those two who ad voctte this duty that it is not any better for&he trust than the former schedule, although this is denied in other quarters. It is also said that the house confereee will accept this as solution of the problem and that they will claim it as a victory, be. cause it does away with the alleged hidden protection.
 The next step after the house agreed to accept this schedule was to find out if the refining interest would take it. It is un- derstood that the senators who have cared for this interest were consulted and that they reluctantly accepted the schedule as the best that could be had and agreed that it would not be antagonized.
 If this schedule is finally determined upon tomorrow, for there is always the possibility of change at the last moment, it Is quite probable that the remainder of the bill may be speedily disposed of, and there is hope that the full conferenee may be had Monday and the report made to the senate early next week. The most of the day was consumed in a discussion of the other schedules, and there is now pretty done with the rest of the bill.
 It is said tonight that the Louisiana sen- ators and Messrs. Allen and Kyle, the latter representing the beet sugar industry, will not accept the proposed schedule If this is true it is not apparent how the der crats expect to pass the bill. There is no provi- sion in the schedule for the bounty for 1894, and both the Louisiana senators have declared that unless this bounty is put in the bill they cannot support it.
 It is probable that by tomorrow night the situation will have crysta!ized into some thing tangible and that the outcome will be known with some degree of defnite- ness.