The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-03
FLOOD OF FOREIGN GOODS.
Enormous Increa.e in the Inportatio,
of Free-List articles.

Enormous increase in the importation,
of Free-Lfst articles.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May q The
treasury figures for the month just ended
confirm Chairman Dingley's statement
made to The CALL correspondent a few
days ago, that there is likely to be nearly
a years supply of foreign goods in the
country when the new tariff goes into
effect.
While the retroactive clause, so called,
of the Dingley bill probably prevent ted
some of the new contracts which would
have been made and the new orders which
would have been given, it did not re-
duce the amount of goods brought in
during April as compared with the pre-
ceding month. That clause of the bill
provided that the new rates of duty
should apply to all goods coming in after
April which had been purchased prior
to that date.
This, of course permitted all goods con-
tracted for or ordered prior to April l to
come in under Wilson-law rates, and also
left 1t largely in TIE hands of the import
ers to indicate by their own statements
whether goods coming in after April
had been purchased or ordered prior to
that date.
Some of the importers have also chung
to the belief that this feature of the bill
would fail to pass the Senate, especially in
view of recent publications so Indicating
while still others have chosen to take the
risks upon being required to pay the extra
duty in case this feature of the bill should
become a law.
The result of these conditions is that
the April importations have been phe-
nomenally large - as large, indeed, as
those OF the month preceding, and larger
than those of any other month since the
Wilson law be gan to pour forth its food
of foreign goods into the country. The
i'm portations of foreign goods during the
month of April will foot up a total of
probably $50, 600, 900 IN value.
The following figures indicate the hot
haste with which foreign manufacturers
and home importers have filled the ware
houses of the United States: The total
importations in August, 1896, amou nted
TO less than S50,000,o00. In >Decem Der
they amounted to $4,000 900, and in
April, just ended, $50, 600, 900.
While the increase has been especially
noticeable by reason OF the increase in
customs receipts the growth has been
even greater than is shown because of the
fact that importers have naturally in
creased their orders for goods now on the
free list which they had reason to believe
will be placed upon the dutiable list under
the new law.
There has been an enormous increase in
the i'm portation OF articles upon the free
list. The importation OF non-dutiable ar
ticles in August, 1896, amounted to $20,-
1000, ana in April last s45, 100000.
That the election of Republican Presi-
dent and Congress proved signal for in
slant activity on the part of the import
ers and for immediate preparations for
flooding the country with foreign goods
before the new law could go into effect is
shown not alone by the above figures, but
by the increase in customs receipts.
The growth in these since the month in
which President Mckinley was elected has
been remarkable. In November, 1896, the
customs receipts were 1000, 900, and in
April, just ended, they amounted to $23.-
600. 900, or an increase OF more than 100
per cent.