The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-10-12
OUR FOREIGN TRADE.
fketufns Ehovs the Wisdom Of Tariff Re-
ducttOn.

ductis,n.
The total value Of imports during tho
last fiscal year was S73l 1851, s7", against
1854, o94. G22 the previous year, an III"
crease of $1,000. s53. In view OF the
Great industrial and commercial de"
preston which prevailed last year the
value of imports was large. it having
been exceeded only five times in the
history of the country.
On the other hand, the value of do
nestle exports was $793, 397, $50, against
1868. oC4, o37 the year before, decrease
Of s7s.sO7, O47 Notwithstanding the
large increase in imports and decrease
in exports, the latter exceeded the for
mer by SCI 400 The exports of last
year have been exceeded eight times
in our history. and once-in 1so2-by
over $242, 900. 900.
fl view OF the fact that for ten
months of the last fiscal year the i'm.
ports came in under the new tariff law
h Comparison of some of the principal
items with the same for the year be-
fore will be of interest.
Of art works, which were put on tho
free list by the new law, we imported
TO the value of IS, S43, O97 last year,
against silica, 1914 the year brfore. OF
chemicals, drugs end dyes, the duties
on which We're materially reduced, wo
imported S43, $50, 500 worth, against
Sal. 55s. 40 the year before. OF cotton
goods we imported $33, ly5, 1913, against
S2o< $40. SAT the year before; of carthen,
stone and ehinawarc, So, CSC, O34, against
&c. $40, 43:; Of iron and steel, S23, o37, 1927,
against SCI, 3l4, 4sg; of leather and man
utacturcs thereof. s13,s,3,olg, against
so,416,1A5. On all these goods the
duties were considerably reduced.
But while there was a decided In
crease IN the importation of all these
articles, the duties on which were
.,1e.1Su &a1u an
increase in imports of goods which
were free under the old law and still
remain free. Thus there was an in
crease from Soo,314, GIG to 800, 1so, 1926 in
coffee, from SIG, 7s6, 1872 to S25, 1872 95% in
hides and skins others than furs, ana
from I5,162, 1913 TO sis, ,O67 in I'M
manufactured rubber and gutta
percha. And, again, there was q de-
crease in the importat ton of some ar
ticles the duties on which were re"
duced. For example, from SIS. o54, III
to SIT, c3o, 9o5 in fruits, including nuts;
from 1905 s35 to 81, 4ss, 5sl in lead and
manufactures thereof, and from $751;
154, O73 to ST., Sl3, 1854 in wool and manu-
features thereof:
The imports of sugar and moiasses
fell from $3.50 1O4 to $40. 492, 3o2.
This decrease Of moro than $50, 900, 900
was due IN part to the enormous lW-
portations in anticipation of the 40 per
cent. duty, ana IN pdTU, <snA ~ AASAp.|.
ly, to the great fall in the foreign price
Of raw sugars.
The value of WOOL which was put on
the free list. increased from Sc, lO7, 435
to $25, 555, 42l, and the value of WOODEN
goods, the duties on which were re-
duced about onc-half, increased from
$40, 3o1, $50 to s3G, $40, 391. But the in
crease in these articles. as in the case
of others the duties on which were
considerably reduced, was in no ANAL
measure due to restriction of inn
ports in 1891 in anticipation of lower
duties.
On the whole the returns indicate
that the reduction of tho tariff has
stimulated importations, but it il too
early yet 20 make very confiden> de-
ductions.-Chicago Chronicle.