Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-08-05
IMPORTERS AREATIT
HAVE SPECIAL FACILITIES FOR
STOCKING UP"
Tables showing Increased Expectations
During the spring OF 1897 Over That
OF IS96-MAy Delay Prosperity for
Many Days.


Washington, ID. c., July 81, 1897.
The completion of the tariff bill by
the senate has given the importers a
much more accurate idea Of what It's
final provisions are to be and they now
seem to be engaged in the final round
of gathering into their warehouses
every article upon which the proposed
new law is likely to increase the rates
OF duty. The treasury receipts this
month have averaged more than a
million dollars a day for the business
days of the month and it Is evident
that the rush Of importatlons is going
to continue up to the very day OF the
final enactment of the new law.
This means, CT course, that the rev.
enue during the first few months OF
the new law will be light. Careful es-
Inmates made by experts lead to the
conclusion that much more than a
years supply of foreign woods have
been brought into the country in the
past four months and that in many
other articles the requirements for a
year are now N warehouses, duty paid.
1t is not improbable that the custom re-
ceipts under the new law may drop
in its first two OF three months to a
many years. perhaps in the memory of
this generation. If this proves to be
the fact the people should and doubt
less understand the cause.-the enor-
nous importations which have been
made in view of the expected increase
in duties.
No other tariff law in the memory of
the present generation has offered this
special advantage in the period OF its
preparation to those desiring to profit
by advance importations of a large
class of articles. The various tariff
acts which have been passed since the
war have been In every case a re-
duction in general terms, and conse-
quently have not stimulated the i'm
portations prior to their final enact
ment as has been the case in this in
stance. The Wilson law increased the
rates OF duty on sugar and 1t is well
remembered that in this particular ar
ticle its final passage was
preceded by the importation
of enormous quantities of sugar by
which alone there was caused a great
reduction in he revenues under the
unfortunate law during it's first few
months. But there has been no case
since the wal tariffs. prior to this one
in which the pending measure promised
a general advance all along the line,
and as a consequence no such incen-
tive TO general over-importation in
nearly ell classes of articles affected
by the tariff. The result will be that
instead OF the being reduced
by excessive importations of two or
three articles, as was the case three
years ago. when the Wilson law went
into effect, the Dingley law, when 1t
takes effect. will find many months
stock of nearly every class of foreign
goods in hand and as a consequence,
very light i~mportations during several
months of its early history.
A few examples will indicate To sc- ,
extent this enormous increase of i'm
portations during the past few months.
The monthly summary of Finance and
Commerce just issued shows the May
importations of daitable cattle to be
46,975 in number against 10,067 in May