The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-09
GOSSIP OLA DAY.
What is Meant by Term
Ad VaIOrem Duties.
Number of Valentines Sent
Through Mail Falls Off.
How February Fourteenth Was OBJ
served in Earlier Times.

served in Earlier Times.
Among the queries recently received by
the Gossiper is the following:
Dear Gossirer will You please give n
clear and full definition of the word
Advaiorem as used in regard to the tariff
schedule.
have asked several for a definition bnt
as yet have been unable to get q salts
factory one. either from psrsons or diction-
ary. l think such an explanation would
be appreciated by the bile generally.
Yours respectfully, IGNORANCE.
Translated the term advslorem is at, or
according to value. An advalorem duty
or tariff, therefore. is certain per cent.
OF the value OF the article on which II Is
levied as shown by the invoice. Take
woolens for example; II the duty fixed
were 25 per cent. advalorem, and the in
voice showed the goods tn be valued at
81 a yard the importer would be requ red
10 pay IA tsrin of 25 cents on each yard
imported by him. There Is at the present
time very strong objection to imposing
OF advalorem duties by the tariff bill
which it is expected and hoped will he
passed at the extra session of Congress to
be convened very shortly after the inau-
gurstion of.the new Republican adminis-
tration on March next. The preponder-
ence OF sentiment appears to be- very
decidedly In favor OF specific rather than
advalorem duties.
Specific duties are, as the word implies,
nxed and unchanRing and are ip no wey
dependent upon the value OF the goods
~ given in the invoice. Tn Us II a specific
duty of rs cents yard we're levied on
certain grade OF wooden cloths that
amount would be collected by the Gus
toms officers whether the value of the
goods was stated inItbe invoice.to he Is
or 80 cents yerd. The objection urged
against advslorem duties is that they
open the way to Misrepresentation.
That is to say. exporters OF goods from
fnrsign conntries by private arrangement
with the importers can, II they are so
disposed, give value much below the
real one ia the invoice, ana thus secure
the passage of goods through the custom
house on the payment OF au,y consider
ably less than that imposed by the tariff
law.
ST. Valentines day will fall on Sunday
this year, but that probably will in no
way interfere with the sending of valen- |
tines. Persons connected with the postal |
service say that for the past half dozen |
years there has been q perceptible fsl ing |
on in the number of valentines sent |
shrongh the mails, a contamination for |
which the hard worked postman is no
doubt duly thankful. Just what has
known, but the preva ling opinion is that
II IL due to the decrease In the use of
cneap and vulgar valentines with dog
ge.c, accoinpsnimepts. A few years
ago these wretched caricatures vera in
very general demand and hundreds of
thousands of them were sold In every
large city annually. There has been a
change for the better in popular taste,
however. and now artistic valentines are
the more populsr. As these are Of consid-
ole size and weight the sender In
majority of cases puts them in the hands
Of the express companies for delivery thus
the mail and the carriers OF q
pretty heavy burden.
The 18th OF February was celebrated in
England and Scotland aud in different
parts of the European continent by an
m m mi afo I'm \
I'VE q uum Der Of young maids and bach
slors would assent BILE and inscribe on lit
lie billets the names of al equal number
IL maids and bachelors OF their acuuaint-
lnce. These billets were thrown into a
ano then drawn out, lottery
= ise, care being taken that each should
iraw name OF one OF the opposite sex.
The psrSon thus drawn became the val
'ntine of the one drawing the name;
but besides getting a valentine for ones
Ielf.so universal was the practice that one
became the valentine of somebody else.
Nilsson, an extensive traveller and acute
observer In the early part of the present
'entury said he had discovered that "the
nan stuck faster to the valen-
Inc that had fallen to him than
o her TO whom he had fallen"
These imaginary engagements not In I
frequently lead To real ones, because one {
necessary consequences wss that for a
Whole year, bachelor remained bound {
o the service OF his valentine, somewhat
fter the fashion Of med evsl knight OF 4,
omsncs TO his lsdy-love. At one time /. :,
vas customary for both sexes to make
ach other presents, but subsequently, the
litigation became restricted 10 the young {,
non. :,
The Observance at the present day con- q
lists chiefly OF the sending OF valentines
i'm Little