The Portland daily press., 1897-03-23

jects which will bear the highest duties.
The exceptions are the earthenware AMI
glass schedule, and the agricultural
schedule .on which the duties have been
placed the same as in the act of 1890 be-
cause no other rates seemed to be protec-
tive. The iron and steel schedule except
rs to some advanced products, has been
exchanged from present law because the
schedule seemed to be, one of the two of
the present law which are differentiated
from most of the others, and made in
the main, protective, Pig iron, steel
rails, structural iron and most other
forms of common iron and steel remain
in the pending bill as fixed in the tariff
of 1894.
Tin plate, whose manufacture was so
successfully established under the tariff
of 1890 by the duty of two and one-ffth
conts,, has been increased from the one
and e-fifth cents duty of the present
law to one and one-half cents which, it
Is believed, will prove as protective as
the higher rate If 1890 now that the in
dustry has been 30 successfully accom-
nlished. The same is true of the cotton
schedule which has boon left as it was
placed In the act of 1894 for the most
part, With some needed advances on fine
goods
II Ia AL the other schedules the rates pro-
posed in nending bill are between the
rates OF the tariff of 1890 and the pres
enh law. There have been transferred
from tire free list of the tariff of 1894 to
the dutiable list Of the proposed bill Got
only wool, lumber salt, burlap bags, cot
ton bag2lng and cotton ties, which were
made non dutiable, but also argol, crude
petroleum, asphaltum, chickory, paipt-
ings and statuarv. stone ornaments etc.,
which under The existing conditions
nh m frfh al Ia
the additional revenue. So far as DOS
slble the aim Inns been to avoid exclusive
ly advalorem duties on articles which
have been VIGOROUSLY underyalued, and
thus failed to pny the duties intended.
Loss OF REVENUE
which has been more serious than any
other in present tariff where outside of the
metal and cotton shedules, almost exolu-
sively advalorem rates prevail. The bet
ter class of supporters have united with
manufacturers and administrators of the
law in asking for this. Piece goods, the
entire silk schedule and some embroide-
ries have, for the first time, been given
exclusively specific rates, desideratum
which was earnestly desired by both
Secretaries Manning and FRirchild sew
eral years ago. In many cases where ex-
olusively advalorem duties are impracti-
cable because of the varied character of
goods compound duties have been de-
vised which SO minimize the advalorein
feature of the duty MS to take away a
large part of the inducement to under
value. While it is difficult to compare
the rates of a tariff almost entirely ad
valoTem with one where rates are SO
largely specific as. the pending measure
yet the fact that very few duties in this
tariff bill are higher than those OF the act
Of 1890, and nearly oil, outside of the few
schedules referred to, are lower. and that
two important schedules are, for the most
part, the same as the duties OF the present
law, clearly shows that the actual aver
age rates of the pending bill are less than
those OF the tariff Of 1850 and some high
Eer than those OF the present tariff. Now
knowing the average percentum ad valo-
rem duty Under the pending bill on the
present reduced prices it will appear to
he higher than the present law and lit
tie lighter than the net of 1890.
Per- entum averages are always mis-
leading when estimated on changed
basis. Thus duty of so per cent i'm
posed on an imported article valued at
sixty cents abroad and ninety cents here,
making thirty cents difference of the
cost of production becomes duty of 60
per cent when the foreign and domestic
ooou o. NoOu ICuNC6u Ii CbutS UuU U0G
duty is still 30 cents. Again different
specific or compound duties imposed by
lines OF value always give rich op-
portunity for Juggling with the percent
ages. For example, If a duty of rs cents
is imposed on an article valued between
one dollar and two dollars and seventy
five cents on the same kind of article
valued above two dollars, and so ON for
higher lines then the percentage mani
festo, shutting her eyes to the fact that
the importer will adapt bis goods SO as
to fall mt slightly below the lines erect
ed proceeds to declare that duty of over
seventy per cent has been placed on an
article valued at $1.05, when as a matter
of fact goods anywhere pear 81 will come
IN under the Is cents when valued at
about &c., SO that in point of fact the
actual duty is forty per cent
1t ls because of these facts that il has
been found difficult to SO compare rates
UNDER TWO TARIFFS
of SO different a character by equivalent
ad valorem as to make the compariso u
acceptable or satisfactory. The average
ad valorem of dutiable schedules under
the act of 1890 on the duies on imports of
1893 was 40 1-2 per censum, and with the
lower prices of 1896 it would have ,bsen
at lass 53 per cent. But this was with
sugar on the free list and liquors seven
per cent less than in the proposed bill.
II sugar and liquors had borne the same
duties as under the act of 1890 and prices
had been as low in 1898 as in 1896, the
average duty under that act would have
exceeded 60 per cent. Under the act of
1894 the average duty in 1896 WAS forty
psr cent, but this was with sugar at
only forty per cent, and tobacco, liquors
and silks considerably less than either In
the act of 1890 or the proposed bill. In
questionably the average duty under the
act of 1894 If sugar, tobacco, liquors and
silks had borne the same duty as in the
proposed bill, would have reached at least
AZ percent. The average duty under the
proposed law with the high duties on
sugars and Injuries is estimated by the
expsrts at 81 per cent
The report of the committee on WAYS
and means has set forth the fact that the
pending bill has not only restored the
provisions of the tariff of 1890 as to re-
oiprocity under which our trade was so
successfully enlarged. but has extended
that policy. AS the gentleman from II
linois (Mr. Hopkins). who has specially
devoted his attention to tine schedule
will hereafter explain what is proposed,
will leave that interesting subject to