Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-25

turers IN this country. we have recon-
mended compound rate Of duty On all
manu- msnafsc.ures e 9sssaensane china; POI
rates on these ARTICLES made by the act
OF 1894 resulted In Vie Complete demeraiizs-
ton OF the business and manufacturers and
workmea have alike suffered The rates
suggested are much lover than the manu-
facturers believe to be necessary. They
are. in a certain sepse.,experimental. Other
countries levy \ specific duty upon man
ufactures OF -earttlsnwAre, china and per
celain. but none of them assess as high
a duty as that suggested by the commit
tee. The rates IN the glass schedule are
reduced somewhat below the rates OF 1890.
but they are still higher than those Of
I'm the metal schedule the rates of the
act of 1894 have been largely retained: in
a few cases they have been reduced. In
the miscellaneous manufactures of iron and
steel the paragraph relating to pocket cut
lery has been reduced to point some
what below the act of 1890. and consid-
erah1y below the House rates. The COM
on lead ore Of one-half cent per pound. in
Difference to the wishes of the lead pro-
ducers of the intermountain states.
I'm schedule d the provisions of the
House bill on sawed lumber are retained.
with a slight reduction of the duties on
planned lumber. The committee found a
great difference of opinion existing In diff
ferent parts Of the country in regard to
the proper rate 10 De lnlposed upoh Tue
articles in this schedule. Many hearings
were given to senators interested on one
side or the other Of the question. with the
result I have Indicated.
The Duty on Sugar.
Senator Aidrich said, In explaining the
sugar schedules Of the amended tariff bill:
TN the sugar schedule E we have sug-
gested change in rates and in the manner
of assessing the duties. AS the schedule is
a very important one, it seems proper that
/ should explain definitely the effect of
the provisions we rece mn:end.
1.-The ANIMAL consumption of sugar in the
United States is abou: 100000 gross tons
of 2,24e pounds each, with a value, based
on foreign prices, appreximating SO, b,oOO
II the high duties proposed in either the
House or Senate bill should be adopted the
annual cost CT sugar to consumers would
be more than S1Gp 500, 3e0. OF the consumi,-
ton OF 1896, 1900 tons, or per cent. were
beet sugars produced in the United States.
and 243 600 tons, or u per cent, were do
mestic cane sugars, and 157000 tons, Or 6
FER cent, were sugars admitted from the
Hawaiian Islands free OF duty under our
treaty with the Hawaiian government The
2,tg0 600 tons Of sugar consumed in the
United States constitute Eearly 80 per cent
of the total consumption of the world the
total sugar crop Of 1896 being approx
nate1y 7,00o0 900 tons. Of which LOO, 600 or
sugars.
The pressing necessity for securing
greatly Increased revenues seems to render
a return to the republican policy of the
free sugar adopted in 1880 an impossibility.
The demand for revenue purposes. and the
teitef that every reasonable effort should
be made to encourage the production of
beet sugar in the United States, led a ma
jority Of the finance committee to recon-
mend the high rates upon sugar which are
contained in the bill now before the Senate.
1T Is believed by the friends of the beet
sugar industry that We can successfully
initiate the example Of Germany In the
rapid development OF t,eet sugar produc-
ton.
Effect of the House Rates.
1.-The bill, as ita-czme to Us from the
House of Representatives.. contained pro-
visions which levy specific duty. based
Upon rClariscopic fest. upon imported sugar
varying from l cent ger pound at 10 de-
grees, to 17s cents per pound on all sugars
above No. 16 Dutch standard in color. and
refined sugars. The effec. of these rates, as
applied to the total appropriations at the
port OF New York for the month of Janu-
ary 1857. is showui by a table, which SUBJ
Fit to the Senate (which has been prepared
by the customs officers in New York. The
rates Sugge sted show range of ad yalor-
EN- equivalents frf1n 5ES.2 TO i44.3 per cent.
A careful examination of the tables will
show that the scales Of "a ties adopted bears
very uneqGally up1n all iow-g1ade sugars.
The character and extent of this discrim-
nation led your committee to believe. that
the schedule should beTmodi6ed. The COM
mittee Observation-Disclosures a careful exa1nin-
alton of tho sMh ale subject, tp recommend
rates which would be In effect as high, at
least as the House BILL but which would
be levied in a manper that would make the
I'D valorem equivalents more uniform.
We believe that the imposition. of the
high specific rates upon low-grade sugars
effect TO exclude them from tie markets
OF the United Suites. The total amount OF
these low grades produced. is, as / have
already stated, uninaportsnt as compared
with tie total sugar crop. but their con-
tinued importations into the United States
Is very important when viewed from the
standpoint OF our trade and commerce with
other countries. To exclude from the
American market all the low-grade cane
sugars from the nearby countries, and
sugars OF all grades from distant countries
would confine American purchasers to beet
sugar and to centrlfugals from points
nearest the United States, and send all
otEer sugars to free markets, ike Canada
and England.
Would Increase the Price Of Sugar.
''1his policy would undoubtedly increase
the price of the sugars from nearby coun-
tries and necessarily add to the cost of
sugar to consumers in the United States
These are the reasons which led your COM
mitfee to suggest an ad vaiorem rate of ID
per cent on all sugars testing Tot above 81
degrees. But this rate can never apply to
nut a very small portion of the sugars of
the world, as from obvious causes, the pro-
nortionate amount OF such sugars is con-
stantly decreasing
vi the cane sugars testing above 81 de-
grees. very much the larger portions. as
MAKE already stated, are centrifugals test
ing ABOUT Do degrees. The committee in
consicering the qEgEtion whether they
should adopt the specific scale contained in
tne Rouse schedule for sugars testing
EpoFe 81 degrees, were confronted with the
iact mat these rates would discriminate
III favor OF the sugars Of certain localities
dha values against thase of others.
ne committee, after full consideratio
reached the conclusion that the essential
eiements OF certainty of reven.e and an
adjustment of rates that would lessen dis
crimlnations could best be secured by the
aooption or compound rates The commit
zee therefore adopted the suggestion, which
Is contained in the bill we have reported
10 the Senate. of imposing specific duty.
wncn Is equivalent to about 10 per centtm
al Valorem, with an additional duty of m
per centum ad valorem on all sugars from
81 degrees to 100 degrees, with .3-10Oths of
cent per pound additional on all sugars
above NO 16 Dutch standard Ia color, and
on refined sugars
Regarding the ReRners.