The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-07
WILL GET THE INCREASE
PROSPECTS FAVORABLE ron A
HIGHER TARIFF ON RICE.

the Lowest Since the War-McIEIn-
ley Cut the Rates ana Wilson Cut
En- Again.
The rice planters of Georgia, South Car
DINA and Louisiana have good reason to
believe that the duty on rice which pre-
vailed under the Mckinley act will be re-
stored or at least that tho present COM
mittee on ways and means will recon-
mend such restoration in the report which
1t Will make at the meeting OF the next
session OF congress.
The members of the committee, which
visited Washington last month and APP
peared before the committee on ways and
means in the interest of the rice planters,
have received very favorable assurances
of the results of their visit
The natural conclusion would be from
the fact that the committee requested the
restoration of the duty which prevailed
under the Mckinley act, that the rice
planters have endeavored to secure q very
high rate of protection. the general Inn
preston being that the Mckinley act rails
ed the rates of duty on pretty much every
thing imported into the country. This
impression is not only incorrect but UNI
just TO the rice planters. The present
rate of duty, lla cents per pound ON clean
ed rice is the lowest duty on rice which
has prevailed since the war, and the Nc
k1nley duty, cents per pound on cleaned
rice, was the lowest duty on rice which
had prevailed up to that time. Instead
of increasing the duty on rice the Nick in
ley bill lowered the duty. Consequently
when the rice planters ask for an increase
on the restoration of the Mckinley tariff on
rice they did not ask for any eXtraordi-
nrOfpefiOn Tho tariff az einAp
the war has been as follows;
1861 to lSS3-2is cents for cleaned ana
cents for uncleaned.
1883 TO 1891 cents for cleaned and IL
cents for uncleaned.
1880 to 1S94-(McKinlcy bid, . cents for
cleaned and IA cents for uncleaned.
1884 to date-(Wilson bilD, 11a cents for
cleaned and $40 cents for uncleaned.
These figures are taken from an article
by Mr.. Gustave A. jain, New York rice
miller, Including his communication to
the chairman of the ways and means com
mittee, opposing any increase in the duty
on rice and the present system of classi-
flying the imported rice. Consequently,
the figures were not intended to be used
in the interest of the rice planters Mr.
jain, in his article, devotes himself
largely to the question of the classical
ton of uncleaned rice, contending that
the millerS of this country are discrimi-
mated against and that the representa-,
tons on this subject made by the plant
erS' committee before the ways and means
committee in Washington are untrue, so
far as they relate to the cost of cleaning
the imported rice.
This subject of uncleaned rice Is of great
interest to the rice planters generally as
the Interpretation placed upon the term
by the customs appraisers in New York
for a long time proved a serious evil TO
the rice industry in this country, until
corrected after a determined effort by the
rice planters in 1894. Mr. Jahn's article
fills two columns of the New York Finan-
cial Chronicle of a recent date.
The following reply to Mr.. jain bV
President Breedlove Smith of the New Or
leans Board of Trade, a copy of which was
received here by Col. John ScreVen, who
acted as chairman of the planters com,
mittee in Washington, is of interest to
every one connected with the rice indus
try:
FEB. /, 1S97.-Hon. Nelson Dingley, Jr..
Chairman Ways and Means Committed
United States House of Representatives
Washington, ID. C.; Dear Sir-In reply
to the statements of Mr. Gustave A. jain
representing the two rice miilers or for
eign rices) we would respectfully call your
attention to possible fraud in the following
definition, viz:
Rice free of the inner cuticle and still
in the meal"
This rice has been the cause of several
law suits, and il has been proved that the
rice in the meal is cleaned, edible rice.
Having failed to enter this rice as UNI
cleaned, they now seek a new definition.
The possibility of fraud is 50 palpable that
the meal can be brushed off with a pocket
handkerchief and a polished rice produc-
ed; or by washing a portion of cleaned
rice and portion of the rice in the neal
the difference could not be distinguished
The so-called rice in the meal Is free
from all foreign substances, and the meal
Is pure rice dust in an Insignificant. pro-
portion.
Samples that have been analyzel in New
York and here show only 65-lOO Of 1 per
cent. meal.
This rice has been brought from point
where II has been freed from the remnants
OF straw that came from the grower, and
the outer hull, and from the bran that is
PRODUCED from the 'cuticle in the process
OF milling. In fact. all the non-edible
parts Of the rice grains have been remoV-
ed. Therefore Is 1t not wholly tit for hui
man food?
The most important. iaborious. lengthy
and expensive part of the milling process
is the removal of the inner cuticle a pro
cess through which this rice in the meaP'
mas passed. The final process of polish
ing or beautMying adds absolutely moth
ing 70 the fitness of the rice for food re-
quircS but few seconds and can be APP
piled, and has been applied at a cost not
exceeding 1-32 of a cent per pound.
Please bear In mind that a mill requir-
ed to bring the.rice 20 the point of the
rice in the meal" Will cost about SIG 000
whilst polishing is an instantaneous pro-
cess requiring simple piece of machin-
cry worth about $1,000 which could bes
erected as an annex to any grocery estab-
lishment.
MIR. jain refers to his presence on the
New Orleans board of trade I'm May, 1894
and Offering 10000 bags OF Japan rice TO
mill at y cent per pound. which offer
he says was declined. The reason our mill
ers did not accept Mr.. Jahn's proposition
was that there was "a string tied 10 IT, as
he insisted on final results being guaran-
teed: results that no business man would
guarantee.
We also call your attention TO the fact
that in 1892 and 1893 when uncleaned rice
was underlined. and the rice In the meal
was being imported into New York as UNI
cleaned and into New Orleans as cleaned,
the approximate value of the rice In the
meal" was greater than cleaned polished
rice. Therefore there Is no justification for
disparity between them and the rates OF
duty imposed.
We reiterate that under the present con-
iitions seven-eighths of our rice farmers
rannot exist. and ask your honorable COM
mittee to fix the duties on rice as re-
mustered by our committee who appeared
before you on the 9Th of January. namely:
Cleaned rice two (2) cents per pound.
Incleaned rice, or rice free Of the outer
hull and stlll having the inner cuticle
on. one and one-half 0l9 cents per pound.
Rice flour, rice meal and broken rice,
which will pass through "A sieve known
as number twelve G2) wire
sieve one-fourth "a cent per pound.
Paddy, or rice having the outer hui on,
one % cent per pound. Since the exist
ance OF this board Of trade our committees
have always appeared on the days faed
for tariff hearings travelling hundreds
,f milcsD. but have never had the pleas
.tre of meeting tho impOrtprg and miiIprs