Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-03
A RUSH OF IMPORTS.
THE COUNTRY BEING FILLED WITH
GOODS TO AVOID HIGH DUTIES.
SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS
PROBABLY SsO,OOO,OOO WORTH OF
GOODS CAME IN DURING APRIL.


Hand When the DingIey LAW
Goes Into Effect - biggest
Rush Is of NOn-Duti-
able Goods.
Washington, May 2-(Special) The treas
ury figures for the month just ended con-
firm Chairman Dingleys statement, made
a few days ago, that there Is likely 10 De
nearly a years supply of foreign goods III
the country when the new tariff bill gets
into effect. While the retrospective clause.
so-called, of the Dingley bill, probably pre-
vented some of the new contracts which
would have Eeen made. and the new orders
which would have been given, it did not
reduce the quantity of goods brought i'll
during April as compared with the praced-
ing month. That clause Of the bill prov!d-
ed that the new rates of duty should apply
upon all goods coming in after April l,
which had not been purchased prior to that
date. This, of course, permitted all goods
contracted for or ordered prior to April
to come in under Wilson law rates, and
also left it largely in the hands of impor-
ters to indicate by their own statements
whether goods coming in after April had
been purchased or ordered prior to that
clung to the belief that this feature of the
bill will fail to pass the senate, especially
in view of recent publications so ndicat-
ing while still others have chosen to take
the risks upon being required to pay the
extra duty in case this feature of the bill
should become a law. The result of these
conditions is that the April importations
have been phenomenally large, as large.
indeed, those of the month preceding.
1tl, ~,
since the Wilson law began to pour its
flood of foreign goods into the country.
The importations of foreign goods during
the month of April will foot up a total of
probably $50, 900 600 in value. Those of March
were in value s76,S72. $751; and while the fig
ures for April have>not been received. there
is reason to believe that the total will ex-
ceed that of March. The customs collec-
tions for the month ran about the same
as for March, and it is believed that the
importation of non-dutiable merchandise
especially wool and hides, has increased
very much during the month, and that the
estimate of sS0,O0O000 for April is low
one.
The following table, covering the impor-
tations into the United States during the
past nine months indicates the hot haste
with which foreign manufacturers and
home importers have filled the warehouses
of the United States, preparatory to the
advance of duties contemplated by the new
tariff:
August, 1896. SAG 46S, ,19O
september Observation-Disclosures. 5O o5o, 99U
October 59 a6a Sd5
November Observation-Disclosures. 5VUi3,ZSS
january, 1897. .................. 81 ,s54OlS
February 5S , SS5, S6o I
April (estimated).. ................. $4,000, 900
While the increase has been especially
noticeable by reason of the increase in
| customs receipts, the growth has been
| even greater than is thus shown because
| of the fact that importers have naturally
| increased their orders for goods now upon
| the free list which they have reason to be-
| lieve will be placed upon the dutiable list
| under the new law That there has been
| an enormous increase in the importation of
| articles upon the free list is seen from the
| following table, showing the importation
| of non-dutiable articles from August /, 1896,
to May ]. 1887:
september ..................... z, 953.l Z
OctCber OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. "A, ,0l3, i3O
November .......'..'..'........ =, 80 l 9Ge go
| december .......--......-..-... 32. .S99.3 .3SS
January, 1897 :. .................... 27.299, ,1SO
february ..................... 81, !64, 96?
March :..;...................... 4l.I52,2o1
That the election of Republican presi-
| dent and congress proved signal for
instant activity on the part of the i'm
| porters and for immediate preparations
| for flooding the country with foreign goods
| before a new law could go into effect is
| shown not alone by the above figures but
| by the increase in customs receipts. The
| growth in these since the month in which
| President Mckinley was elected has been
| remarkable. as will be seen by the follow
| ing able of customs receipts from Novem-
| ber, 1896, to May !, 1897:
| November, 1896 ...............S 1886. $50
| december Observation-Disclosures. 10. tI9 Az
January, 1887 .................... ii. .2I6SI4
| February ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. II, So, ,26l
March q. .SS3 $50
Another evidence of the instantaneous
| effect of the election of President Mckinley
and u Republican congress upon the i'm
| portation of goods now upon the free list
| and likely to be transferred to the dutia-
BILE list by the Republican congress. is
shown in the following percentage tables
| the percentages of the total importations
which come in free of duty:
August. 1896 ......................4 All per cent
| September ....'.............4. per cent
october ...... .......-.........4.6 per cent
November .'..... ......''.. '..''. Se.S per cent
January, 1897 ...... ..............5s.2 per cent
February .............553 per cent
April testimatedD ............... $50 per cent
The increase in importations especially
since it became, known that congress was
| to meet Immediately after the Inaugural
ton, of Mckinley, and take up the tariff
| BILL is shown by the following comparison
| of the customs receipts of March and April
of the present year with those months in
| the three preceding years:
1894. s2l 535, Sc
1885. 1852, ,S15
lSSh -, l59,.ii
1897 Observation-Disclosures. as S333 $40
| While the increased importation in
| dutiaple goods is shown by the above table,
| that of the non-dutiable goods is not in
| dicated by the figures which it contains.
The following table, however, gives the i'm
| portation of articles free of duty in March
| and April during the past three years:
1850. .Sbb 693, WA
1887 -. S. OOO 900
| #April of 1857 estimated
Wabash
To
ST. Louis and return,
| May 5th and 9Th,
| $3.50.
Subtle Flattery.
| From the Indianapolis Journal.
81 heard quite compliment paid to my
| business abilities to-day" said Mr.. Grabbs
| rubbing his hands cheerfully.
What was It. dear?" asked his wife.
| Wilson told Brown that 1 was the big
| gest hog he ever had any dealings with