The times., 1897-01-15
FIGURES THAT TALK
STATISTICS OF IMPORTS OF HAY,
MEAT, AND DAIRY PRODUCTS.
Under Mckinley Law the American Hus-
bandman Competed Successfully
with the Canadian.

Under Mckinley Law the American Hus-
bandman Competed Successfully
with the Canadian.
The official figures of the treasury de-
partment just made public, showing the i'm
portations of hay, cattle, meat dairy prod
ucts, tobacco, and wool. during the fiscal
years 1895 and 1896. compared with those
of 1898 and 1894 give something of an idea
of the desirabiity of free trade or low tariff
as against adequate protection. viewed
from farmers standpoint.
The Wilson bill operated during ten
months of the fiscal year 1895 and all of
the fiscal year 1896. The Mckinley law
operated during the fiscal years 1898 and
1894 and two months of the fiscal year 1895
The Fiscal year." it will be understood be-
gins July and ends June 80 of each year.
The Mckinley tariff law placed duty of
$4 per ton on hay, while the Wilson law
reduced the duty to So per ton. Now see
the result. The importatons of hay under
the Mckinley law from Quebec, Ontario,
and other provinces amounted to $943, 500
in value in the fiscal year 1898, and to $780,
266 In 1894. In the fiscal year 1895. ten
months of which were under the Wilson
law, with half the rate of duty fixed by the
Mckinley law, the importations OF hay
amounted to $1,4Q9, 1858, being practically
double those Of 1894 under the Mckinley
law. In the fiscal year 1896, all of which
was under the Wilson law, the importations
of hay amounted to $2.646, s34 in value or
practically four times what they were under
the Mckinley law.
YEARLY AVERAGES COMPAREDI
The average Importations Of hay from the
provinces of Canada above named during
the four years of the Mckinley law amount
ed to, in round numbers, $700, 900 per
ahnum, While during the years of the Wilson
law they amounted to over So, 900, 900 per
annum, round numbers. Here are the hay
figures In tabular form:
1898 mckinley law ----------- S 943, $50
1894 (McKinley law)---------- $50. 266
1895 (WilsOn lawl- 1,409, 263
1896 (WilsOn law 2,646, S34
In the matter of cattle of the dutiable class
the increase is striking as to Canada and
much more so as to Mexico The rate of
duty on cattle under the Mckinley law was
$40 per head on animals of the dutiable
class above year old, while under the Will
son law the rate of duty was fixed at 20 per
cent advalorem, making 1t practicable for
the importers to get them In at a low duty.
The mpOrtatons from the provinces above
named were in 1895, under the Mckinley
law, in value $6,641, in 1894 $l,367; in
1895, under the Wilson law, $l3,s15, and
in 1896 $12,7S In tabular form dutiable
cattle were imported as follows:
1898 (McKinley law s 6.641
1895 (Wilson law w)---- 1855
1894 mckinley law 1907
1896 Wilson law. 12,7S4
EFFECT ON MEATS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS.
The imp0rtations of meats and dairy
products increased also In remarkable de-
gree under the low rates of the Wilson law.
The Mckinley law rate on bacon and hams
undressed. 10 per cent; on prepared or pre-
served meats, 25 per cent; on fresh beef,
mutton, or pork, 2 cents per pound; on live
poultry, cents per pound. The Wilson
law rates were, on most of these articles, 20
per cent advalorem, enabling the importers,
by fixing low nominal price, to get low
tariff rate. On lard the rate was reduced
from cents per pound to l cent per pound;
on ua frOp r IN
pound; on butter and cheese the Mckinley
rate was cents per pound; under the Will
son law, 4 cents per pound, on preserved
and condensed milk the rate under the Nc
Kinley law was cents per pound, and that
of the Wilson law cents per pound; on
sugar of milk the Mckinley law rate was
8 cents per pound; that of the Wilson law 5
cents per pound. Under the Mckinley law
the importations of meats and dairy prod
ucts in 1893 from the Canadian provinces
above named were $26, ,4ss in value, in 1894,
! $5l,620 The importatiops in the fiscal
year 1895, ten months of which were under
the Wilson law, were $S2,97s, and in 1896
under the the Wilson law, $1O2, ,966. Here
| 1t is in tabular form:
| 1893 (McKinley law 5 26, ,4SS
| 1895 Wilson law S2,97S
1894 (McKinley law)- 51,C2O
1870 (Wlls0n law w)--------- 102 966
The Wilson law reduced the duty on leaf
tobacco, suitable for cigar wrappers, from
50 per pound to $1.5O per pound, and upon
stemmed tobacco, suitable for wrappers,