The times., 1897-06-29
NO RECIPROCITY ON COAL.
This Will Probably Be the Senate
Committees Decision.

Committees Decision.
The Senate Committee ON Finance had
long hearing la It's rooms at the Arling-
ton last night on the subject Of coal. 1t
was one or the most protraCted and most
stubborply contested hearings the COM
mittee has yet had and took on the shape
more OF a CAUCUS than OF mere committee
meeting Besides the members of the
committee, there were present: Senators
Gear, Fairbanks, Deboe, Spooner. Hanna,
Perkins. Foraker, Quay, Sewell, Wilson,
Chandler, Proctor, Elkins, and Cullom.
Gen. Grosvenor, member OF the Ways and
Means Committee OF the House, was also
present during good deal OF the time.
The contest was between those urging
q straight duty on coal and those seeking
to retain the reciprocity clause reported
to the Senate by the committee While
fixing the rate OF duty at Z 8 cents Ton,
the committee inserted q clause which
under any reciprocal arrangement that
may he made with Canada will reduce the
duty to 60 cents a ton. 1t is argued by
Senators Sewell, Cullom and others favor
ing this reciprocal arrangement and r.
still further reduction in the rate under it
that the export trade OF the coal miners OF
this country would be increased very mate
rally If this arrangement can he per-
fected.
They show that the export trade of
this country to Canada amounts TO three
and quarter million tons, while the
whole imports OF coal in the last year
amounted to only 123 ,Oo0 tons The
entire consumption of coal in Canada, from
Quebec west to winnepeg, aggregates
81
friends of reciprocity say that If it is en-
tered into, the entire consumption of coal
in that part of Canada will come from the
United States. If, they argue, under a
higher rate OF duty they have been able to
build up this large trade, they can ex-
tend the trade Immensely more by having
o reciprocal arrangement that reduces the
duty. The Canadian government has re-
Gently changed, and promises a reduction
In It's rates under the same arrangement
These arguments are met by others by
the opponents Of reciprocity in coal, and
it CANNOT be denied that the ma ,ority OF
the Senators present at the conference last
night were on this side of the question
Mr.. Elkins, of West Virginia, is one of the
most determined foes to reciprocity in this
particular article and he is ably seconded
hy Mr.. Clark, OF Wyoming. Mr.. Clark
demonstrated that the Canadian duty
amounts 20 practically rs cents ton, and
he contended that that was what the
miners Of coal in this country really ought
to have. If reciprocity was entered into
the whole OF the West would, he said, be
flooded with coal from British Columbia
and the Western mines would be compelled
to shut down.
Wyoming had an excellent grade of coal
and n such amounts that lt was able to
furnish the whole country west of the
Mississippi River. Colorado also had
big deposit OF good coal, and Mr Clark
said he did not propose to give his vote
to any scheme that would lessen the out
put Of those mines Under the Mckinley
act Wyoming had mined 100000 tons
of coal a year, and under the Wilson
law, which made a practically 40-cent
rate OF duty that output had fallen to
100000 tons. That was enough to
convince him that reciprocity in coal was
not good thing for the Western coal
fields.
The discussion was quite animated at
times, and the conclusion was gathered
by the members of the committee that
there could be no reciprocity in coal un-
less there was reciprocity in several other
things. One Of the Western Senators
stated after the conferen ce was over
that IL there was any scheme through
which the duty on coal was to be re-
dlccd, the scheme must also be applied
to iron and other things alike 1t was
unfair to discriminate against coal.
Several Interested Senator'S were unable
to be present, and there was no effort
OH the part of the committee to reach
any conclusion. Another hearing will be
granted. 1t appears to be the best judg-
ment that a straight rate of 81 Cents
on the long ton will be agreed to as
the final rate, without any reciprocal ar
rangemcnt.