Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-08-22

free list, with some reference to
certain reductions in the dutiable
schedules.
First in Importance Is free wool.
The Senate as we'll as the House put
wool on the free list. A tariff act
making wool of all kinds free Of
duty would be memorable and very
beneficial act, even if it provided
for no other changes in existing
tariff schedules beyond correspond
ing reduction of the duties on WOOL
EN- goods. The value of the wool
imported in 1898 was $18,500,000,
and the duties paid were $8,200,000.
With free wool we have free lum-
Der. The Senate bill removes the
duties on logs, hewn and sawed
timber, squared timber, sawed
boards and plank, clapboards, hubs,
laths, shingles, and staves-in short,
substantially everything in the
Mckinley wood schedule except
furniture, the duty upon which is
reduced to rs per cent. The value
Of the imports of these articles, now
placed on the free list, was $10,-
100000 in 1893, and 81 ,143, 900 was
paid in duties.
Salt goes on the free list. In
1898 there were imported 312,00O,-
600 pounds, and the duties were
100000. Binding Irvine is free of
duty, also bagging for cotton, bur-
laps, and grain bags made of bur-
laps. With these are Chinese mat
ting for floors and the iron bands
COTTON ties) used in bailing cotton.
The value of the burlaps imported
in 1893 was nearly 100000, and
the duties amounted to 100000.
Upon imported grain bags valued
at $1,200,000 the tariff tax was
$53e,OOO.
Flows, tooth and disk harrows,
harvesters, reapers, agricultural
drills, mowers, horserakes, cultiva-
tors, thrashing machines, and cot
ton gins are made free of duty.
The manufacture Of some of these
implements is controlled by Trust
combinations. The Senate bill re-
moves any duty that could assist
them in exacting high ring prices
at home while selling implements
at lower prices abroad. The absurd
duty imposed on tin, the metal, by
the Mckinley act, is repealed, and
thus the cost of a raw material
largely consumed in many import
ant industries is considerably re-
duced. The enlarged free list ex-
hibits notable reduction of the
burden of tariff taxes.
In many of the dutiable schedules
a considerable part of the Mckinley
tax has been shorn off. The re-
moval of the duty OH wool is ac-
companied by very large reduc-
ton of the duties on wooden goods.
The value Of the women's and child
ren's dress goods, coat Innings, and
similar fabrics imported in 1898 was
nearly S18,OO0,000, and the duties
were more than S1S,25O,OOO. The
average ad valorem rate under the
Mckinley tariff was 102 1-2 per
cent. The Senate bill reduced this
to 40 and 80 per cent. The duty
on imports of wooden and worsted
cloth valued at nearly $13,000,00O
was 100 per cent; the Senate bills
rates are 40 and so per cent. The
duty on wooden knit fabrics (im-
ports 81 ,456, 000) is cut down from
"a per cent to 35 and 40 per cent.
In the Mckinley tariff the duty
on plain china is So per cent; the
Senate bill reduces this to 30 per
cent, and the Mckinley tax of 60
per cent on ornamented china com es
down to 35 per cent. There is in
the dutiable schedules, as we'll as in
the free list, much that earnest and
consistent advocates of tariff reform
can regard with satisfaction. New
vi ~. ..