Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-23
TARIFF DEBATE.
Continued from page -

der to provide a market for our domestic
WOOL II this mas been added in a partly
specific form duties practically equivalent
to the ad valorem duties imposed by both
the trains Of 1881 and 1884, as a protection
to the wool manufactures. This it is be.
and stop the further depletion OF our
f1ocks, and presently recall what we have
lost N the past four years and ultimately
the clothing wool that we require. ii viii
also greatly encourage the wool manu-.
featuring industries which have suffered
same time we will ultimately Increase the
revenue from duties of wool and wooIens
duties more than s25o00.000 per annum
n nne GUY ". on sugar has also been in,
gar in the United States thereby given
to our farmers new and much needed
about $s4.o00.000 for Imported sugar, not
understanding the abnormally low price.
s ana od this rs sum will soon be Increased to
sioV,WUWV, inc success which has at
tended the growing OF sugar beets and
the production of beet sugar in Califor-
MA and Nebraska in the past five years.
duction of cane sugar in Louisiana has
made the problem of producing our own
sugar no longer doubtful and now that
we must nave the Increased revenue of
| sugar from the present probabilities, a
| favorable opportunity presents itself CIV
ing this boon to our agriculture
me duty on sugar proposed Is sufficient
| according TO the polariscope test of the
degree of saccharine matter commence
| ing at one cent per pound for sugar po-
larizing not more than 75 degrees and
OF a cent for each additional degree.
This would make the duty on raw sugar
Tor the same polariscopic test as refined
added one-eighth of one cent for such
sugar above No. 16 duties, standard In
color trehned sugarf making the duty
hundredths. this eighth with whatever
| may be aided by the countervailing duty
on al sugar imported from export
teeted. which is believed viii maintain
the refining industry here motwith-
standing the present difYerential one
s's dn,1n; ana az 20 per cent all,round duty
only differential between raw and re-
| fined sugar, because II the refiner uses
n ,an OF less saecharine strength than
ally more OF such sugar 10 make pound
| of refined sugar.
An increase, has been smade In the duty
on hax and hemp. as well as jute. and
manufactures thereof to practically the
| same, 10th to increase the revenue for
the time being and ultimately to develop
| the linen manufacture here. From the
| evidence before the committee we are
persuaded that the time has come for
gradual development of both fax cul-
| ture and flax manufacture in this coun-
| try. which has been possible only to a
| limited extent in coarse articles under
the prior low duties. Specimens of goods
| made from Minnesota flax are exhibited
which seem to give a pursuance of new
development in this direction. For the
most part otherwise the increase of du-
| ties In the pending bill TO the figures of
| the tariff of 1890 have been in the sched-
ule of paragraphs covering Injuries like
tobacco, liquors. silks. and laces, which
are always regarded as objects
which will bear the highest duties. The
exceptions are the .earthenware
schedule, on which the duties have been
placed the same as in the act of 1880. be-
cause no other rates seemed to be pro-
tective.
The iron and steel schedule. except as
to some advanced products. has been ex-
changed from the present law because
| this schedule seemed to be one of the
TWO of the present law which are differ
entail from most of the others, and made
in the main protective. Pig iron, steel
rails, structural iron and most other
forms of common iron and steel remain
in the pending bill as fixe>. in the tariff
of 1884. Tin plate. the manufacture of
which was so successfully established
under the tariff of 1880 by the duty of
two and one-fifth cents. has been in
creased from the one and one-fifth cents
duty of the present law to one and one
half cents. which it is believed will prove
as protective as the higher rate of 1890,
now that the industry has been so sue
cessfully accomplished. The same is
NNee'is
been left as was placed in the act of
ls9i Tor the most part, with some needed
schedules the rates proposed in the
pending bill are between the rates of the
tariff of lS9o-sl and the present law. The
House transferred from the free list of
the tariff of 1894 to the dutiable list of
the proposed bill not only WOOL. rubber.
salt, burlap bags. cotton bagging and
cotton ties. which were made non,duti-
! able, but also. argols.f crude petroleum.
asphaltum. chicle. paintings and statu-
! airy ornaments; which under existing
conditions ought to contribute some
thing toward the additional revenue.
so far as possible the aim has been to
avoid exclusively ad valorem duties on
articles which have been VIGOROUSLY un
dervalued and thus failed to pay the du-
ties intended. a loss of revenue
which has been more serious
d than Tho the present tariff c Outside
almost exclusive ad valorem rates prevail.
The better class of importers have united
with the manufacturers and administra-
tors OF the law in making and asking for
this. Piece goods and the entire silk
schedule and some embroideries have for
the .tirst time been given exclusive
sired by both Secretaries Manning and
Fairchild several years ago. In many
cases where exclusive ad valorem duties
are impracticable because of the varied
character of goods compound duties have
been devised which so minimize the adj
valorem features as to take away a large
biTty VI luuucemSnt unuer value. w ME
1t is difficult to compare the rates of a
tariff almost entirely where rates are so
largely specific as pending measures. yet
the fact that very few duties in this tariff
bill are higher than that of the act of
1880 and nearly all outside of the few
Scedules referred to are lower and that
two important schedules are for the most
part the same as the duties of the present
law, clearly show that the actual aver
age rates of the period bill are less than
that of the tariff of 1893. and some higher
than of the present tariff. now knowing
the average percentage advolorem duty
under the pending bill on the present re-
duced prices, will appear to be lighter
than the present law and little lighter
than the act of 1890.
!, Percentum averages are always mis-
leading when estimated on changed
basis. Thus duty of so per cent. Inn
60 cents abroad and 80 cents here. making
SO Per cent. differences Of the cost of the
production. becomes a duty of SO per cent.
each reduced II cents, but the duty is still
30 cents. Again. different specific or COM
pound duties imposed by lines of value
always give rich opportunity for Jug
cling with the percenta ges,, For example
II duty of 20 cents IS imposed on an
article valued between 81 and 1915 on
the same kind of an article valued above
" and so on for higher lines than the
percentage manifesto shutting her eyes
to the fact that the importer will adapt
his goods so as to fall but slightly below
the lines erected, proceeds to declare that
duty of over N Nor cent boc hao,,