The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER
NEWMARKET BILL SATISFACTORY
TO THE FARMERS.

Business Already Improving Under Nc
Kinley's Administration-Prot
Tariff Becoming Popular With All
the Leading Political Parties.
GEORGE MELVILLE, Special Correspondent.
Washington, u. C.-The new tariff
bill which the ways and means commit
tee has reported to the new congress is
proving satisfactory to the farming and
manufacturing interests. No class OF
citizens have received more careful at
tention than the farmers in the work
which the committee has performed in
framing this bill. This relates not
alone to the mere question of protection
to farm products, but the fostering OF
manufacturers which shall thus furnish
an increased home market, and prOvi-
sions for demanding reciprocity from
foreign nations, by which special ad-
vantages may be had for our farm pro-
ducts in foreign markets. The commit
tee has put good deal of work on the
wool schedule, and when they complet-
ed the bill they felt that they had got
ten it into more satisfactory shape than
they expected, and especially into a
shape which will be satisfactory to the
farmers generally and give them much
better protection than they had under
the Mckinley law. While the rates
upon the finer grades of wool are prac-
tically those of the Mckinley law, those
relating to the coarser grades are ma
terially changed, and in way which
will be very satisfactory to the wool
producers. Under the classiications OF
the Mckinley law large quantities OF
wool intended for use in manufacturing
cloths were imported under the head of
carpet woods and paid carpet wool rates
of duty. The new schedule and CLASH
fication which the committee has adopt
ed will, it is believed by the members
Of the committee, prevent this and re-
quire woods brought in for manufactur-
ing cloths to pay the proper rate while
those properly classified as carpet woods
will pay rates very little higher than
those named by the Mckinley law.
By this new classification, the COM
mittee believes that it will give to the
wool growers very satisfactory rate of
protection, and, at the same time, in
crease materially the revenue produced
from wool under the Mckinley law.
The fact that enormous quantities OF
wool used for manufacturing cloths
were brought in under the title of car
pet woods, reduced materially the reve-
nues which would have been realized
had they paid the rates of duty which
the law fixed for woods used in the
manufacture of cloths, blankets, etc.
While the rates are not those proposed
by the Wool Growers Association, the
Redistribution which prevents the
coarse woods being brought in at carpet
rates of duty, will prove in some degree
an offset for the failure to adopt the
rates requested by this association.
While the rates finally determined upon
are considerably below those named by
the Wool Growers Association and
will to that extent perhaps be unsatis-
factory, there is reason to believe that
members of the association generally
did not expect to get as high rate of
duty as asked, and that by reason of the
new classification they will be particu-
larly we'll satisfied with the work of the
committee.
The completion of the bill enables
the members of the committee to make
estimates of the increase of revenue
which the bill will produce. These
estimates range from IS, 900, 900 to 49,
900, 900 per annum increase over the
present law. Should these expectations
be met, the bill, when it becomes law,
will produce sufficient revenue to meet
the running expenses and add from five
to seven millions per month to the
treasury reserve. It is believed that if
this expectation is realized and COM
Portable surplus constantly maintained
in the treasury, the danger of renewals
of demands for gold in exchange for
greenbacks and treasury notes will
rapidly disappear. In general it may
be said of the bill that the rates of the
Mckinley law were made basis for the
present measure, the general plan being
to make no higher rates than those i'm
posed by the Mckinley law, and to keep
below it in such cases as possible. This
has been done in large proportion of
the articles upon which rates have been
named. The number of articles taken
from the free list and placed upon the
dutiable list is not as large as had been
anticipated, but the committee feel con-
1dent that the bill will prove satisfac-
tory revenue producer, and that the
rates of protection given by the COM
mittee will be generally accpetable to
the interests affected.
Bimetallic Conference VIII Be Held.
1t is understood by those who are
familiar with the details of Senator
Wolcott's trip and the plans which have
been formulated by the president and
others, in view Of his report, that the
proposed bimetallic conference may not
be called until autumn. The president
and those who have advised him on
this subject have concluded that the
subject generally should be pretty thor
oughly digested and plans formed be-
fore the delegates come together. They
have no doubt as to the practicability