The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-05
FRAMING OF THE
NEW TARIFF LAW
Work Well Advanced by Members oil
Ways and Means Committee.
MANY M'KINLEY RATES ADOPTED
The Agricultural Schedule Adopted
without the Erasure of Line
Soap Remains at the wilson Rate.
Duty on Steel Rails Has Not Been
Fixed--A Compromise on Wool.

Washington, Feb. 4.-The work OF
framing the new tariff law has been
well advanced by the Republican mem
berS of the ways and means committee
and the United Associated Presses Is
today enabled to report their progress
with the leading, schedules. The last OF
the formal hearings of interested par
ties was given on the 18th of January
so that only little more than three
weeks has since passed.
Tho chemical schedule which comes
first on the list, the carthenware and
glass schedule, the metal schedule ana
the cotton schedule have all been put
in tentative form, with some contro-
verted questions still open and the
agricultural schedule was nearly con-
Cluded today. The wine and spirit sche-
dula has not yet been passed upon by
the full committee but will follow sub
stantially the Mckinley rates. The
agricultural schedule of the Mckinley
bill has been adopted almost without
the erasure of a line. one of the most
important changes is on live cattle
which are covered by a blanket pruvi-
sion of the existing law for all live ami
mails at 20 per cent. advalorem. The
rate under the new law will be five
dollars per head on cattle more than one
year old, and twenty-five per cent.
adValOrem on cattle valued above tWen-
tY dollars. This Is thought to estab-
lish a more equitable rate than the
Mckinley law which imposed ten dol
lars per head on all cattle more than
one year old without regard to value,
and Is regarded as sufficiently protec-
tive against the importation of Mexican
cattle. The rate on barley is the Nc
Kinley rate of 80 cents per bushel which
was demanded by the American barley
growers. Vegetables all go back to the
Mckinley rates. Other items on which
Mckinley rates are restored are salt, 12
cents per hundred pounds in packages
and eight cents when in bulk; starch
two cents per pound; salt meats % per
!ent.; meat extracts 80 cents per pound;
milk five cents per gallon, and poultry
twenty per cent. Eggs go back to five
cents per dozen and berries to the old
Mckinley rate.
Under the chemical schedule, soap
made of caustic of soda and kindred
chemicals. remains at the rate fixed
in the Wilson law which is considered
sufficiently protective.
Lead in ores is fixed at 1 cent pei
pound; pig lead at 2 cents, and white
lead Acetates at 21a cents. These rates
are considered less than those of the
Mckinley law.
LITTLE CHANGE IN IRON.
The iron aud steel schedule, like cot
tons was left in a fairly satisfactory
condition to the manufacturers by the
present law and will not be changed
except upon a few special articles, like
tin plate and cotton ties and some
forms of tube steel There may be
changes also upon the more finished
articles of manufacture like surgica
instruments and tools, but the advance
will not be large. The duty on stee
rails has not yet been fixed and the
committee will endeavor to obtain
some further data before adopting it
Glass above "a by 80 inches and no
exceeding "a by 60 inches, will be lef
at the present rate of 221a cents
square foot. The next higher size will
also remain at the present rate of 81
cents per foot. The smaller sizes o
plate glass are advanced from 5 to
cents per foot when not exceeding II
by "a inches, and from to - cents PEI
foot when not exceeding "a by 8
inches square.
The committee have talked over
few of the other schedules, but hav,
not yet reached definite results. They
are waiting the meeting of wool grow
ers and wool manufacturers next weel
before deciding upon the rates on thes
articles. a rate of cents per pounC
upon all classes of wool has been sug
gested as probable compromise upoi
the raw product. The progress mad
by the committee indicates that the,
will have the bill we'll advanced by tn
close of the present session in spite O
the fact that some puzzlng question
remain to be dealt with. Leadin;
members today expressed great salts
faction at the progress already made
which covers nearly one-half of tn
printed text of the tariff schedule.