The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-07-26
"AI The News That's FIJI 10 Prllt, "
Evening Herald
MONDAY. JULY 20, 1897
The New Tariff Law.
ESTABLISHED 1870.

afternoon, with "a majority OF ten /
votes in its favor, and shortly after
wards the President attached his /
signature The Dingley bill was re
ported to the House on March 10 and |
became law on July "a, four months
and five days after it was first reported |
to the House. That is a record of
which the Republicans may feel
proud.
The bill gives to the farmers the
protection on wool and other farm
products which they had asked, the
House rates on first and second class
woods being restored, and a highly
satisfactory rate to the wool sections
of the mountain states being adopted.
Our Democratic contemporaries, as
we'll as the leaders of that party in
Congress, have made many false
statements in reference to the sugar
schedule In the shape that the bill
passed the House it is generally con
ceded that it was not in any way ad-
vantageous to the trust, but that on
the contrary it took away from the
trust the advantage which it had
under the Wilson law. Stripped of
ali technienlities, the cold facts are
that as the bill left the House the
rates on refined sugar were 124 cents
per hundred pounds greater than the
rates on raw sugar. OF course, the
rates on different grades of raw sugar
are different but taking the number
of pounds of any grade which were
required to make IA hundred pounds
of refined sugar twas found that the
rates were on an average of 124 cents
per hundred pounds less than those
on refined sugar. This means that
the sugar refiners of the country,
whether in the trust or out Of it,
were allowed difference of 124 cents
per hundred pounds, or I of cent a
pound, difference between raw sugar
when imported and refined sugar
when imported, thus giving them an
opportunity to import raw sugar at 4
of cent a pound less than the rates
at which refined sugar can be i'm
ported. 1t is generally conceded that
the cost of refining sugar is not less
than about 4 of cent a pound, so
that the rates really given to the
sugar refners are simply the bare
difference between refined and unre-
fined sugars, or the cost of refining.
The rates agreed upon by the con-
ferees made precisely the same differ
ence between raw and refined sugars
that the House bill made when it was
passed by that body. The conference
report did increase the rates on re
fined sugar slightly, but it also in
creased the rates on raw sugar, thus
making the difference in the rate of
duty between raw and refined or the
.'differential, - as it is called, precisely
what the House bill made it originally
-124 cents per hundred pounds, or
of a cent pound.
IT is true that sugar-trust stock ad
vanced during the time the bill was
in consideration by the conferees anC
after it was presented to the public
but this is easily accounted for. Tn,
sugar trust, knowing that the new
bill would certainly advance the rate
OF duty on sugars as a protection tC
American producers, has been bring
ing into the country as rapidly as
possible sugar in enormous quaint
ties, getting it in, of course, under
the comparatively low rates Of the
Wilson Jaw. 1t has secured the world
for sugar and had in stock by the
time the conference report was pre-
sented to the public over 700, 600 tons
Of raw sugar, or, in round numbers
1900, 600, 900 pounds.
On every pound Of this sugar which
it had in stock it was perfectly appar
ent that it would make whateve
profit there was between the tarit
rates of the Wilson law and the in
creased tariff rates named by TIN
Dingley law, or an aggregate prof
calculated at about - million dollars
Is it surprising that sugar stock wen
mn in view of the fact that this on
ganization would make upon tn
sugar which it had brought into tn
country 12 million dollars by tn
mere advance which the trainers o
this bill have found it necessary II
make in tariff rates in order to pro
tect the sugar producers Of the Unite,
states and bring a revenue to tn
government
The advance in sugar-trust stocI
was not due to any permanent advar
tage which the new tariff bill give
the trust over the old law, but, on tn
contrary, the difference between ray
and refined sugars under the new bi
is. as already indicated, 124 cents pc
hundred. while, under the Wilso
law, it is 22l cents per hundre
pounds, thus making it apparent a
once that the permanent "ditferer
tiaT or difference in tariff rate
which the sugar refiners get unde
the new law is far less than that IN
der the Wilson law, while this loss t
the trust is offset by the mere ten
porary advantage in the advance i
nrices which it is able TO make upO