The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-05
ALMOST A new BILL
Dingley's Tariff Schedules Cut Down
by Senate Finance Committee.
Hides Are Made Dutiable and
Wool Reduced.
Reciprocity Clause Is Replaced BY 3stdisterj
Provision

Washington, May 5-The' Dingley
:ariff bill. revised and amended out OF
an senpiance ot It's former shape. was
presented by the subcommittee to the
full finance committee Of the senate yes
terday morning.
Within an hour the committee had
come to the conclusion that the best
course to take would be to report II
to the senate at once and to delay the
beginning of the debate for two weeks,
or until the 18th inst, during which
time both the majority and minority
members of the senate could have ample
time to inspect the changes. This pro-
gram was carried out.
The bill as 1t comes from the COM
mittee is radically new in almost every
feature. In fact, with the exception OF
the cotton schedule, which seems to
have been arranged in the house satis-
factorily to Senator Aldrich, there are
only three pages OF the 216 In the bill
which DO not contain an amendment.
In ali there are over 700 changes. The
most important of these relate to wool,
hides, lead ore, sugar, tobacco. tea and
beer. tI,.ff 5.,.t[
The tariff on woods Is reduced an to
the higher grades and raised as to the
lower In the house bin 1t was IL and
IL cents pound for the first and second
class, while In the senate bill II 10 and
cents pound respectively. The duty
on third -class woods In the house bill
was 30 per cent ad valorum on woods
valued, at 13 cents or less per pound.
and so per cent ad valorum on woods
over 13 cents q pound. This has been
changed to a specific duty Of 4 cents q
pound where the value is 10 cents or
less and cents a pound where the value
is more than 10 cents. The compen-
satory duties have been changed to cor
respond with these new figures.
Hides are made dutiable at ~ cents
q pound, and lead ore is rated at the
same figure.
The duties on imported tobacco have
been decreased about so cents pound
Tea is taxed 10 cents a pound, and beer
Is made to pay an additional A cents
barrel. The sugar schedule has been
completely revised. and Is now COM
posite of ad valorum and specific duties,
the total being a higher rate than was
ever imposed before.
Lumber remains practically as 1t was
in the house bill at 81 per 1000 feet. but
coal has been decreased from IS to 60
cents a ton.
: The free list of the house bill ia greatly
enlarged.
To Go Into Eject July I.
Perhaps the greatest surprise con-
tained in the new tariff bill, as indicated
by the comments heard on all sides. is
the duty on tea UP to the time Of tn.
passage of the pure-tea law there had
ho iAc Int lob
be placed on tea, together with coffee.
But the enactment Of legislation de-
signed to keep out Of the country all ex
cept the higher grades of the article was
supposed to cover all that would be done
with that matter for while. The time
for the bill TO take effect is made July i,
1897, instead of May /. as provided by
the house, and the words in the first
paragraph, "Or withdrawn for con-
sumption" are stricken out.
Through the general schedule ii Is ap-
parent, as has many times been pre-
dicted, that the senate committee has
reduced rates and made them conform
more closely with the Mckinley bill.
This action, however, furnishes no posi-
tive guarantee of what the senate itself
may do, and the same influences which
likely TO be potent i'm the open senate,
and will in many instances secure re-
turn to the original rates. This reduc-
tion i'm rates if ratified by the senate,
moreover. would be another recognition
that more revenue was demanded, for in
many instances the lowering Of the
house rates would make importation of
an article possible. which would other
t..
tcrnal revenue tax on beer although less
than the Cleveland administration would
have favored as a remedy for the exist
ing deficiency, will doubtless prove large
enough to.arouse a good deal Of hostility
among the brewers. The cigaret tax has
been somewhat expected, for it has been
we'll known that the senate compittee
were giving this article serious consider
htion as a revenue producer
Following Is the provision i'm regard TO
hides. which are transferred from the
free list: Hides of cattle, whether dry,
salted or picked. ~ cents per pound;
provided that upon all leather exported
made from supported hides there shall
be allowed drawback equal to the
amount of duty paid on such ifdes.
Many ant important changes were
MADE Dy the SeIdte tdTiIl lSuD-cOniffllttee
An the wool and wooden schedule as
passed by the house. First-class woods
were reduced from II cents per pound,
as provided in the house bill. to s cents
per pound, and second class wools from
L. 30 cents. whereas the duties on woods
of the third-class were raised. The di-
viding line In this latter class was'placed
at 10 cents value, woods under that value
being made dutiabe at the rate of 4
cents per pound instead OF 32 per cent ad
valorem. as i'm the house bill. Wools
valued at more than 10 cents per pound
were placed at cents per pound. instead
of SO per cent ad valorem. The wool
growers failed to secure all the changes
which they desired I'm classification, but
~ is understood that the rates fixed on
the wools themselves are satisfactory
TO them.
Retroactive Clause Killed.
The retroactive clause OF the DinRley
tariff bill is stricken from the senate bill.
The entire house provision relating to
reciprocity has been stricken out and
the following section substituted:
That whenever any country shall pny
A ...s.