Kansas City journal., 1897-05-26

mittee of the house recognizes the fact that
anticipatory regulations will largely reduce
year under the new tariff. but, after max
ing allowance for these impOrtations, the re
porr estimates an Increased income of S16.
Ol0O00 for the year 1898 provided the law
should be passed by May /. II its enact
ment. were delayed until July the, report
added that SIS 10000 additional would cas-
fly be lost to the public treasury.
House Bill Inadequate.
After giving In detail the house estimates
of revenue, Mr. Aldrich proceeded:
"It will be apparent from critical e&-
bin that the estimate of 100000 Increase
OF revenue, If the bill should become
law by the lst Of July, was excessive TO
indicate the grounds upon which TINS JOds-
ment is based We may take the wool ana
wOoleu schedule, from which S4O00eO out
OF $l6O0O.000 increase IS expected. Inc iact
Is well known that there have been uhus--
ual impOrtatiOus Of wool In anticipation OF
the reimpositiOn of a duty-enough, accord
ing to the trade reports: TO supply an ths
foreign wool needed by the domestic manu-
faCtuTeTS for more than year.
The statistics on this point JUSTIFY the
belief that there can be no revenue from
the wool duties during the fiscal year lS5S,
except, possibly. small amount IRON rom
o0990 increase for wollen goods IS equal
ly erroneous.
gree perhaps, with reference 70 olhtI
schedules Instead Of an increased revenue
from tobacco we may more safely count
upon decrease in the hrst year the IN
crease from sugar will be much less than
the ways ana means committee : estimate,
owing to the fact that one-quarter of the
years supplies OF raw sugar will probably
be imported before any new rates Of duty
can be applied to them,
The secretary of the treasury estimates
the expenditures for all purposes tor the
fiscal year ending June 20, 1885. q Si65 80
OiI2o. The finance committee estimates the
reNcEue TO be derived IN the same isCiu
year from customs. II the provisions Of the
PM reported by them should 9e enacted llito
mated revenue from the temporary DUTY on
THE committee estimates the receipts
fTCm internal revenue for the same period
at IO.a00.000 II We add 10 this the treas
Ury estimate for miscellaneous receipts.
81, 600 O00. and the receipts on account of
the postOffice. S96227.O76. We have total
estimated receipt for the fiscal year la:S Of
1853 6il .0I6. or an estimated excess OF Ie-
Ceipts over expenditures Tor that year OF
III the estimated revenue from the duty
on tea and the additional internal revenue
taxes should be omitted from the com
mittees estimates of receipts, there would
be an estimated deficiency OF S29l!9.OO IN
stead of a surplus Of $2.T25.0& The COM
mittee believes il 20 be the imperative duty
OF congress to provide in the measure un-
der consideration for revenue which will
certainly meet the requirements Of the gov
crnment for the next fiscal year The adop-
tioI of a revenue bill which should fail in
this purpose. and which should create an
additional deficiency in the immediate fut-
issue of bonds to meet current eXpendi-
lures. would certainly be fatal to the hopes
of future success of any political party re-
sporsible for such legislation.
In selecting the sources for additional
reUnue, the committee decided TO increase.
temporarily. the tax on articles OF Noiun,
tary use. rather than to assess additional
duties which might prove imperative, upon
articles of necessity or upon those which
enter into our manufactured products. As
Suung that the necessity for additional rev.
enue exists. and of this we believe there can
I.a raf. frfr1g inn her IL M
and certainly none that affects the public
interests, why beer and tobacco should not
bear their share Of additional taxation. The
committee believes that the duty proposed
on tea will not prove a serious burden upon
the consumers OF that article.
The Sugar Schedule.
"In the sugar schedule L We have sug-
gested a change in rates and in the man
ner of assessing the duties. As the schedule
Is very important one II seems proper
that should explain definitely the effect
Of the provisions we recommend.
THE annual consumption Of sugar in the
United States is about 100000 gross tons
on foreign prices approNimating SlDOWD.
If the high duties proposed in either the
house or senate bill should be adopted the
annual cost of sugar 10 consumers would
he more than sI60OO0.OO0. OF the consump-
tipn of 1896. 10000 tons. or 2 per cent. were
beet sugars produced In the United States.
and 900 tons. OF y per cent. were do
nestle cane sugars. and 15I0O tons, or
per cent. were sugars admitted from the
HaWalldnS tTee OF duty under our treaty
with the Hawaiian government. The 2OO0,-
900 tons of sugar consumed In the United
States constitute nearly 30 per cent of the
total consumption of the world. the total
sugar crop Of 1896 being approximately
200 600 tons Of which 4.300, 600 or about 611a
per cent Of the whole were beet sugars.
THE pressing necessity for securing
greatly increased revenues seems 10 render
return to "A Republican policy OF free SUI
gar adopted in 1890 an impossbilitv. The
demand for revenue purposes and the belief
that every reasonable effort SHOULD be made
TO encourage the prot eCtiOn of beet sugar
in the United States led a ma jority of the
finance committee to recommend the high
rates upon sugar which are contained in
the bill now before the senate. 1t is be-
levcd by the friendS of the beet sugar in
dustry that We can successfully initiate
the example of Germany in the rapid de-
velopment Of beet sugar production.
The bill. as 1t came to uS from the
house Of representative. contains provis-
ions which levy a specific duty. based upon
polariscopic test upon imported sugar vary
ing from l cent per pound at - degrees. to
17s cents per pound on all sugars above No.
l6 Dutch standard in color and refined SUI
garS. The effect of these rates. applied
TO the total importations at the port of
New York for the month Of January. 1897.
is shown by a table which I submit % the
customs officers in New York. The rates
suggested show a range Of ad valorem
e0ufyaIents from 7S2 to I4l2 per cent A
careful examination OF the tables will show
that the scale of rates adopted bears very
unequally ell low grade sugars. The
character ana extent Ol TINS discrimination
led your committee TO believe that the
schedule should be modified. The committee
determined. after a careful examination Of
the whole subject. to recommend rates
which would be in their effect as high. at
least as the house hill. but which would
he levied in a manner that would make the
ad vaIorem equivalents more uniform.
THE committee. after fun consideration.
reached the conclusion that the essential
clements of a certainty Of revenue and an
adjustment of rates that would lessen dis
ordinations could best be secured by the
adOption of compound rates The commit
tee. therefore. adopted the suggestion
which is contained in the bIll we have re-
pcrted to the senate. of imposing a specific
duty. which is equivalent 10 about 10 per
cent ad valorem. with an additional duty
., - per cent ad Nalorem on all sugars
from s. to 100 degrees. with thirteeu-hun-
all sugars above No. l6 Dutch standard in
color and in refined sugars.
Interests of ReGnerIcs.
'.AIore than % per cent of the sugar
which is imported into the United States
has heretofore been imported i'm a raw
condition and has been retined here. and
II is therefore, of Importance that we
should consider carefully the effect which
the schedplu proposed by the senate COM
mittcC would have upon the refining in
dustry I assume that III will be admitted
I'm All quarters that this industry is en-
titled 10 fair treatment. The fact that the
business. as conducted to-day. is i'm COM
paratiVely ijeW hands. and that large
portion OF \ is carried on by one COM
pany. while il furnishes a reason for nm
usual care ia the adjustment of the rates
In order that no undue or unfair advantage
shall be giyen to sugar reiiners. should not
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