The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-20
A new TARIFF BILL.
RESULT OF DELIBERATIONS OF
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES.

Compromises Made on the Sugar and the
Wool Schedule-The Tax on Stocks
Abandoned by Senate Conferees-Cotton
Bagging and Tics and Floor Mating put
Back ON the Dutiable List-Reciprocity
Clause Greatly Changed.
Washington, July 17.-When the re-
publican conferees on the tariff bill
representing the two houses OF con-
gress adjourned at 6 O'Clock today the
announcement was made on behalf of
each of the houses that they had
agreed upon all the items of the bill
and that the result of the PARTISAN
conference would be submitted to the
democratic members of the conference
at full meeting to be held on Mon
day. "We cannot" said Senator Alh
son, SAY just what time We shall ex-
pect the attendance of the democrats
on Monday, for there is still much TO
them"
1t is understood that some of the
members will work tomorrow for the
accomplishment of this purpose and it
is hoped to have the bill printed and
prepared for the inspection of the
democrats by 10 O'Clock Monday. The
republicans still further hope to Sc
cure the assent of the democratic MEM
bers to the reporting of the bill after
one session and to thus be able to pre-.
sent it to congress at the beginning of
the session Monday.
The members of the conference still
preserve the strictest silence in re-
gard to the changes made, giving out
no official confirmation as ito the
changes made in the bill. 1t is learn
ed, however, from an entirely reliable
source that very large majority of
the senate amendments were accepted.
This was rendered necessary by sew
eral circumstances. IA number of
amendments made 10y the senate were
verbal; others were trivial and still
others were made necessary to secure
harmony of construction and would
have been made by the house of that
body had had the bill under cOnsidera-
ton for so long a time as the senate
had. All such changes as these We're
accepted without question by the house
conferees.
They also accepted in most cases all
the alterations made by the senate in
order to secure the passage Of the bill
in THAT body. Senator Jones, of Neva-
da, holding as he did practically the
balance of power both in the senate
and committee, was enabled ito secure
many concessions for western interests
in tho senate and these ho hold with
out exception in the conference. He
even succeeded in securing a. degree
Of protection -four beet sugar greater
than was given either in the senate or
the house bill.
The dill as agreed upon will, when
made public, present an entire new
schedule, at least in the main item of
duty on raw and refined sugar-the
fourth presented since the bill emerg-
ed from THE recesses of the ways and
means committee.
When the announcement of an agree
ment was first made today the fndica-
tiOns were that the senate had sur
rendered everything in the sugar sched-
ule to the house. No one not in pos
session of all the facts could see how
it could be otherwise when it was
known that the house differential of n
cent had been accepted and the senate
provision for throwing of 1-10 cent on
low grade sugars receded from You
will discover" said Senator Aldrich, in
discussing the matter among his COL
leagues, that the senate saves some
thing after all and that it is not a
complete surrender on our part"
The wording of the new paragraph,
which follows. shows that he was
right:
Sugars not above No. 16 Dutch
standard in color, tank bottoms, syrups
of cane juice. meFada, concentrated
melada, concrete and concentrated mo-
aasses testing by the polar,fscope not
above Is degrees, 95I1O0 of 1 cent per
pound, and for every additional degree
shown by the pOlaIiscopic test .O35 cent
per pound additional, and fractions of
a degree in proportion, and on sugar
above No. Is Dutch standard in color,
and on all sugar which has gone
through a process of refining .125 cent
per pound additional
1t will be observed that the modifica-
tiOn of the sugar schedule still leaves
the rate on pure sugar testing 100 de-
grees 1856 cents per pound, which was
the senate rate. The differential on re-
fined sugar lis, however, One-eighth of
cents per pound, while the senate
differential was One-fifth. The house
also secured the elimination of the ONE
tenth Of a cent reduction allowed on
jaggory and C,.le:. low grade sugars
testing below 81 degrees by the polar
iscOpe. 1t is claimed that the increase
on the higher grades of sugar which
will result from the increase of polari-
scOpic graduation allowance will add
materially to the protection to the beet
sugar industray. The refiners neces-
sarily receive incidental benefit
1t is estimated that the changes in
the sugar schedule will raise about
$2,000.0O0 additional revenue.
Following are among the more i'm
portant changes made in other sched-
ules:
Hides, Is per cent. advalorem, in
place Of the 20 per cent. fixed by the
senate. The house conferees made
strong fight to have hides restored to
the free list, but they were compelled
to submit to the unyielding demand
of the senate.
Wool, Gas heretofore sent out)-first-
class IL cents per pound, second-class
IL cents per pound, third class cents
on that below IL cents per pound in
value and cents on that above II
cents in value. These rates on third
class wool were the result of an agree
ment between the wool growers and
the carpet manufacturers.