The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-26
I'OOPREYIOUS TARIFF
Treasury Department Holds
It Went Into Effect on
Un1ucky Friday.
ABOUT 100000 INVOLVED
Tax on Beer Doubtful as Well as
Saturdays Imports-Cur-
rants All Right.

WASHINGTON, + July &c, 1S97.-The
Secretary of the Treasury holds that the
new tariff act was in effect at the be-
ginning of the day on which it received
the approval of the President, and there
fore became operative after midnight on
Friday, July 23 Assistant Secretary
Howell today sent the following telegram
to Collectors of Customs:-
Department holds that new tariff law
covers and includes all customs business
of July "a
Later in the day formal circular of
instructions covering more fully the
departments view on the subject will be
printed and mailed to all customs col
lectors. The opinion of the Attorney Cen
eral has not been requested on the matter
the Department holding that the ques-
ton is of sufficient Importance to justify
them in taking it to the courts for final
determination, Independent of what the
views of the law officers of the Govern
ment might be as to the merits of the
case. Senator Allison was at the Treas
ury Department today and in the course
of a conversation on the subject said
that in his opinion there was no reason
able doubt that the act covered all Of the
day on which it became a law
This also is the view of all the promi-
nent officials of the Treasury Depart
ment, including the Collector of Customs
at New York and several of the leading
ports of the country.
Sufficient data upon which to base a
close estimate of the amount of duties
involved has not been received, but it is
stated roughly that it probably will be
between 100000 and 100000. The internal
revenue department probably will save
even a greater amount by the new ruling
than the customs branch of the SER
vice During the five days from
Tuesday, July 20, to and including Satur-
day, July "a, the internal revenue
stamp agencies sold approximately
S., ISL, 800 in beer stamps alone, and of this
amount it is estimated that not more
than one-third or s1,727,2 ,266 reached their
destination before the act went into eff
feet The saving to the government on
these sales of beer stamps alone is ex-
pected TO aggregate not less than SlS3,-
coo. Commissioner Forman today tele-
graphed all stamp agents to settle only
on the basis of the increased rate of 7la
cents per barrel. and it is expected that
these instructions will apply to
all cases where the stamps were
not actually affixed to the
packages before the new rate became
operative. No figures as to the amount
Of cigarette stamps disposed of have yet
been received but it is believed that the
sales have been abnormally large, as the
rate of tax on cigarettes, speaking gen
orally, was increased 100 per cent?. or
from 50 cents per thou and to one dollar,
the Inducements to t-oacco manufactur-
ers to lay in as large supply were even
greater than in the case of the brewers
The statement from San Francisco that
by an error currants figure in the tar
iff bill in two separate paragraphs and
at two separate rates is erroneous and
arises from the fact that the Californi-
ans evidently were ignorant of the. fact
that the conference committee fixed the
discrepancy by striking currants from the
first paragraph imposing a rate of duty
per bushel and allowed the second, or
raj % rae orr nh stand