The Portland daily press., 1897-03-16
THE NEW TARIFF BILL.
Outline of Measure Presented to Congress
To-day.

bill made public today By the ways and
Of hard work by the mem bers ever since
the meeting of the last session of Con-
gress in December.
Il is intended to raise from fifty to
sixty million dollars more revenue un-
der the bill than is provided by existing
law under similar conditions.
. Duties have teen advanced for the
donble purpose of protection and reve-
nue..
Another important rule which has gov
erned the committee is the substitution
OF specific duties where possible instead
Of those based upon values. Such duties
have been restored upon nearly all of
the chemical schedules, many articles
of iron and steel upon sugar. upon agri-
cultural products and upon many SUM-
dries.
1t is In textiles, however, that the great
est care has been taksn In transforming
advalorem into specific duties. The
cotton schedule was made specific in
form. with the exception Of general pro-
visions, when the present Law is formed.
The duty per yard is based upon the
number of threads TO a yard, thereby
permitting an increase of rates upon the
finer goods A similar system of olasi-
fcation is applied in the new tariff to
manufacturers Of fax and silk. The du-
ties upon silk are to be based upon the
amount OF pure silk contained in given
weight Of fabric, the rates being higher
without adulteration or a'mixture is larg-
eT.
The duties upon woolen goods are at
present compound in character, and some
Of them will have to be left no. The
committee have done much figuring,
however, with view to su ubstitutiDg
| specific rates and have been able to do so
in q number of cases. The textile
schedules of the bill are not likely to be
subjected to great changes in the Senate,
except perhaps in the case of woolens,
W here a bit ter contest Is raging between
the wool growers and woolen manufaot-
UreTS.
The committee have endeavored where
1t was in accord to keep below the No
Kinley rates and in every case to avoid
| going above them. They have been
Obliged to disregard this rule In few
cases, but many of the schedules, like
| iron and steel, where Mckinley rates
are no longer needed. can be cited as evil
| dence that they have adopted moderate
scheme Of duties, They have put back
the full Mckinley rates In most cases
on agricultural products, because they
| have felt that the farmer WAS entitled to
all that it was possible to do for him by
protective duties.
The Mckinley rates have been pre-
silks, because they are considered essen
TALLY luxuries. There has been an in
| crease upon filler tobacco in order to
| MAKE the difference less wide between
filler and wrapper and the temptation
| to fraud less serious.
| The bill as whole represent what the
| committee regards as scientific scheme
f1r the protection and development of
American Industries and the mainte-
nance of self-supporting treasury.
The Republican members for several
days have been considering how best
| they could change the duty on woolsns
and pottery from advAlorem to specific,
so as to make the bill consistent through
| out. At the final meeting this morning
| specific rates were fixed on some of the
some cases this change Of basis was
found not to be practicable, but 1T was
made in every instance wherever posi-.
bls.
The date when the new tariff is to &C
into effect ia named In the preliminary
draft submitted to the House today a.
May /, 1897. The most important sec
tions taken out of their order of sequence
are as follows: