The evening times., 1897-06-28
How the New Tariff Bill Will
Benefit a Foreign Firm.
GIVEN AN ABSOLUTE MONOPOLY
Protection in This instance Means
Protection for an Importer
mestic Manufacturers-An Ingen-
ious Paragraph Inserted.

60 force through the House and the Sen
ate some paragraphs that have been hIth-
erto mexplicabe. To the business men of
tins country engaged in the lithograph.ng
industry and the importers of the same
class of goods the rates OF duty imposed
have been an unsolved puzzle, but there
begins 10 be- a elimmer Or understanding.
Among those in Washington deyOtins a
great deal of attention 10 certain parts of
this bill is Mr.. Harry TiChenor, OF New
York who :, or has been until recently, II
is claimcd "A member OF the firm OF J. y
WI>wal X Co.. custom house brokers IN
New York. 1t is understood, or at least
the charge has been made, with much cir
cumstautial detail, that Mr.. TichcnuT is
the attorney for Wagner N Co, foreign
manufacturers. who have an agency for
their photographic goods In New York iity.
Mr.. TichenoT is, by the way, the son OF
Col. George {. TicheuoT, member OF the
board OF appraisers in New York and the
present consulting engineer in charge or
the tariff bill.
In SgI when the Wilson h;li was pend
ing. all the importers oflithographiC goods
and the domestic manufacturers who had
hundreds OF millions OF dollars invested
an their plants, held a conference in this
city and formulated paragraph 30s Of the
present law This action representing
the con fiicting interests. was unanimous
with the exception OF Wagner X Co, who
refused 10 have anything to do with the
conference
The law has proved TO be very salts
factory in its working, and under IL the
domestic auufactUreT has proSpereG While
the importer had fair opportunity to com
pete The firm OF Wagner & Co Is prin-
Cipally interested in photographic cigar
labels and bands, and are able under
existing law, TO take large snare OF
this business. They are said 10 Figure
very extensively in reappraisemen,s on
their intporations at the port OF New YORK
and are "a asscd " the trade, so il is claimed,
as what are known as persistent seekers
for reyaluatious. which Federal officials
say means under valuations
Through some mysterious influenC CO,
THIS one firm which refused TO join with
the rest OF the trade. is now the beneficiary
of the law as passed by the senate When
the House bin was pending IN the Ways
aud Means Committee the same course
was pQENHNFi rs til ! NfH 'e tiit illl llfi tftS
and manufacturers and the paragraph As
formulated by them was almost identical
with the present law. with the exception
Of a slight advance on cigar labels ana
Autographs where metal leaf was used
exclusively.
The House committee, after agreeing
to the schedule thus formulated 10y the
conflicting interests, reported and passed
the bill in a totally different shape and
with rates inserted that inurc 10 the hHne-
fit Of Wagner * so. exclusively. In the
first five varieties OF goods enumerated
in the lithographic schedule, the manu-
faCturers at the conference referred TO
agreed not TO ask for an increase of rates
They said they did not need 1t, and If
Ieft as the present law fixed the rates
the importers would have a fair oppor-
tunity 10 compete on the plea that they
were favorinr the manufa cturers, the
committee went contrary TO what the man
ufacturrrs urged. and increased the rates
on forT pG these classes 80 per cent.
But ta,. MIX in the Cocoanut is found
IN the next group Of three varieties or
photographic goods which goes into the
higher grades. on one class the confer
enCe-representing conflicting interests and
the entire trade, with the exception OF
Wagner & Co.-askcd a reduction of 90
per cent from the present law, which is
30 cents a pound.
Both the ltouse and the Senate made
the rate - ceatS a poundinstead ON the
next class the conference asked the main
tcnance Of existing rates, 80 Cents a
pound. both the House and Senate made
the rate - cents a pound On the next
class. which is the very finest output in
the manufacture Of cigar labels the con
ference asked an increase from existing
rates. 40 cents pound, to 80 cents,
but the House kept the rate at 10 cents,
and the Senate reduced it to 20 cents.
The secret of this action is found IN the
fact that this one firm OF importers handles
the goods covered by these three classes,
| lithogTaphic cigar labels. flaps and bands,
and on these the rates have been reduced
| from the present law, while upon every
thing used by the domestic manufacturers
in the making OF such goods paper, card
board, metal leaf, bronze powd paints
! and colors indeed, every material used by
| them directly or indirectly has been ad-
vanced.
With the increase in the duty that has
| been put upon metz al leaf, domestic litho-
graphers say it viii be impossible for them
| 10 held their. home market aud compete
with :he importing firm mentioned unless
| they have q duty of 30 cents pound. In
| the face of the most urgent representations
! on this subject, the Senate reduced this
| duty 10 35 cents, a scheme intended solely
| for the advantage of the Importer, while
| the profe Ssions of the Republicans have al
ways been in behalf of the home producer
| and manufacturer.
When the Senate committee reported the
| bill ard the rates had been found to be
increased on metal leaf, papers, paints
| and colors, etc, the domestic lithograph-
ers and all the importers, with the ex-
| Ception again OF this one firm, held an
| other conference, this time including all
| the domestic manufacturers and importers
! OF illustrated books and booklets, and at
this conference q complete agreement
was reached on the question of rates.
This agreement, signed toy all the parties.
| was presented to the Senate subcommit-
tee, made up of all the Republican mem
bers, and the parties interested were told
/ that that committee bad accepted their
| paragraph. When the paper schedule was
| reached in the Senate, however, instead
| of substituting that paragraph una nimously
| adopted by the manufacturers and import
| ers and ratified by the subcommittee The
amended paragraph submitted by the
| Finance Committee on May last was act
| ed upon and adopted by the Senate.
In the passage of this paragraph, the
Republicans, who have professed at all
4 IN f1 hn fo