New-York tribune., 1896-12-29
PRICE THREE CENTS.
TARIFF HEARINGS OPENED.
A REMARKABLE CONTRAST WITH THOSE
OF TWO YEARS AGO.

URGENT APPEALS FOR A RETURN TO
SPECIFIC DUTIES - REPRESENTA-
TIvEs OF INDUSTRIES IN
HOPEFUL MOOD NOW.
rRY rELEcRi PH TO TIE rRrBUNEl
Washington, Dec. 2S.-The tariff hearing bee
fore the Committee on Ways and Means to-day
did not lack in features that were instructive ana
interesting, and 1t offered one or two that were
somewhat amusing well. At 10 o'clock, the
hour set for the hearing to begin. the spacious
committee room was filed with men engaged
and interested I'm various branches OF industry
which In the tariff are grouped under the head or
Chemicals Oils and Paints" OF the committee
there were present Chairman Dingey ana
Messrs Payne Dalzell. Johnson. OF North Da-
kota and Evans, Republicans. and McMillin ana
Wheeler, Democrats. The interest felt In the
subjects to be discussed was attested not only by
the large attendance of persons directly inter-
ested. but by the presence OF a number OF others.
among whom were Senator Platt Of Connecticut,
and Representatives Parker. OF NewJersey:
Loud and Bowers. Of California; Boutelle OF
Maine and Newlands. OF Nevada The COM
mittee had wisely adopted rule under which
duplication OF long oral statements and argu.
ments relating to the same matter are avoided.
and which provides for the filing OF such written
statements as M 1y 10 desired Dy the represents.
tives Of various Industries. The operation Of
this rule to-day most satisfactory to every
body erned Everybody who present at
the hearings two years ago and to-day also must
have perceived wide difference. Then men
came in fear and pleaded with hostile COM
mittee in behalf OF threatened and imperilled in
dustres; to-day they came. after nearly four
years Of hard times and more than two years
OF disastrous experience under a hotch -potch
tariff. unbrollen in spirit and full OF hope for the
future, because thev felt that justice would be
done
Throughout the hearing one thing was especial
y noticeable Wherever ad vaorem rates OF
duty had been substituted for specific rates by
the act OF 1894 the appeal urgent for a re-
turn to the specific rates This was urged on two
grounds: First. because OF the loss OF revenue
and injury to honest importers well as domes-
tic producers by fraudulent undervaluations un-
der the ad valorem system; second because Of the
injury to domestic producers and consumers
alike by the food OF adulterated mportations
which the ad valorsm system encourages and
stimulates In regard to the importatons Of
adulterated goods. several striking statements
were made by representatives Of the chemical
and drug industries ard by representative OF
the native wine producers Of California. The
latter also emphasized the fact that serious losses
OF revenue, we'll great injury to American
producers had resulted not only from the reduce
ton Of duty on wines from 30 cents to 80 cents a
gallon by tn, act If 1894 but also by the ad
valorem provisc, which had been inserted In that
act.
PRESENT CLASSIFICATIONs CRITICISED.
The clumsy. obscure and uncertain class!fca-
tion of articles in the existing law also came I'm
for deal of Whi
have seemed harsh II the reasons and examples
on which IL was based had not appeared so Just
and pertinent In one case it appeared that an
article-Epsom salts-was found on the dutiabis
list. and again on the free list. and that accord
ing to recent decision OF the Board OF Apprais-
ers. based on n rule OF construction which gov
erns In all such cases the article must be ad-
mted free Of duty unless the court to which an
appeal has been taken shall otherwise decide.
This is probably extreme case. but II was evi.
dent from the oral statements made to-day as
we'll as from careful written statements which
had been filed that the existing law would need
most careful and thorough revision In order q
correct errors and remove obscurities Of classic.
| cation II for no other reason. AS 1t now stands
| the Government loses a part OF the revenue Il
| ought to receive and the domestic producer IL
| deprived Of a part Of the protection which r.,
| ought TO enjoy.
II vas noticeable that the oral requests for IN.
| creased rates Of duty from representatives OF
| the more important branches of the chemical i'm
| dustries who appeared to-day were far less mum.
| erous than lose for changes Of classification
| and the restoration Of specific duties and that.
| as a rule the requests appeared TO be exceeding.
| " moderate and reasonable, and in few cases II
any to exceed rates that would yield larger revs.
nue. than is now obtained from the same sources.
Thus Thomas Harrison. of Philadelphia. speak
| ing for the Manufacturing Chemists Associa-
| tion said that only a moderate Increase Of ex.
| listing rates was demanded. but he pleaded for
| the restoration OF specific duties. About $50.
900 600 of capital is invested in the chemical In
| dustries he said. and all the representatives OF
that capital and the muscle and brains it employs
| asked was simple Justice. He referred to new
| and dangerous competition from Japan and
| China in certain branches OF the industry, to
| which attention will be called in an elaborate
written statement which Il committee Of the as
| sociation Is 10 submit.
The brief statement OF J. Seaver Page OF New.
| York was substantially in harmony with Mr..
| Harrison's, and he indicated that in the written
| brief to be submitted In behalf of the manufact-
| urers Of colors increase OF existing rates
would be asked in only three or four cases unless
| IL should be decided to increase existing rates
| on materials used in the manufacture of colors
or course some of the chemical industries suf-
| fered more than others from the erratic and ili.
digested legislation of 1894, and their representa-
| tiyes to-day were on hand to demand restora.
ton Of the provisions Of 1890 under which those
| Industries had fourished and prospered. Such
| a case was that OF Henry Krebs OF California,
| who represented the bOrax industries Of the Pa
| cfc Coast: Of Henry G. Stewart, OF Philadel-
| phia representing manufacturers OF copperas.
etc; of Samuel Merz. of Newark. ~ J.. manu-.
| of n
Of these cases articles were improvidently trans.
| ferred from the dutiable list To the free list ~
the act OF 1894 the result being the loss Of tree
amount of revenue in the aggregate. with no