The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-27
New Tariff Bill Went Into Effect at
That Hour.
DECISION OF SECRETARY OF
TREASURY TO THAT EFFECT.
Custom Houses Have Been Notified of This
Fact-Between One and Two Hundred

| Thousand Dollars Saved by This Decis-
Washington, July 26.-The Secretary of
the Treasury holds that the new tariff act
was in effect at the beginning Of the day
on which it received the approval of the
President and therefore became operative
after midnight on Friday, July 2srd.
Assistant Secretary Howell today sent the
following telegram to collectors of
customs:
Department holds that the new tariff
law covers and includes all customs bust
ness of July Oath.
formal circular of instructions cover
ing more fully the department views on
the subject will be printed and mailed to
all customs collectors. The opinion of
the Attorney General has not been re-
quested on the matter, the department
holding that the question is of sufficient
Importance to justify them in taking it
to the courts for final determination, in
dependent Of what the views of the law
officers of the government might be as to
the merits of the case. Senator Allison
was at the Treasury Department and in
the course of a conversation on the SUBJ
ject said that in his opinion there was no
reasonable doubt thatathe law covered all
of the day on which it became a law.
This also is the view of all the prominent
officials of the Treasury Department., in
Guiding the collectors of customs at New
York and several OF the leading ports Of
the country.
Sufficient data upon which to base a
close estimate of the amount of duties in
volved has not been received, but it is
stated roughly that it probably will be be-
tween 500, 600 and 5000, 900. The internal
| revenue department. probably will save
even greater amount by the new ruling
than the customs branch of the service.
| During the five days from Tuesday July
90 to and including Saturday July "A, the
proximately S5,1S1 800 in beer stamps
alone; and of this amount it is estimated
that not more than one-third of 81, 722, 1865
reached their destination before the act
went into effect. The saving to the
government on these sales of beer stamps
than Sl83, 900. Commissi oner Forman to-
day telegraphed all stamp agents to settle
only on the basis of the increased rate of
Z 1-2 cents per barrel, and 1t is expected
that these instructions will apply to all
cases where the stamps were not actually,
affixed to these packages before the new
rate became operative. No figures as to
the amount of cigarette stamps disposed
of have yet been received, but it Is be-
lieved that the sales have been abnormal
ly large, as the rate of the tax on
cigarettes, speaking generally, was in
erased 100 per cent or from 80 per
thousand to one dollar, the Inducements
to tobacco manufacturers to lay in as
| large supply were even greater than in
| the case of the brewers.
| The treasury officials already have dis
covered number of inconsistencies in
the new tariff act, some of them, it is
feared, being incapable of reconciliation.
1t is pointed out that section 262 places
the duty on plums at 25 cents per bushel,
and section 264 fixes the rate at two cents