New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-20
TARIFF REVISION BEGUN
THE MAJORITY OF THE WAYS AND
MEANS COMMITTEE AT WORK.

DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES DEMAND-Wohh
on THE CHEMICAL SCHEDULE.
fnv TELEGRAPH TO THE TR1pUNEl
Washington Jan. 10.-The majority Oh nv
Committee on Ways and Means mas peeuh WI
and made some progress In the prepara"o" "a
a new tariff bill. Conferences are heiu e'e'.
day and the facts and information oo'a"e'
from every available and trustworthy source
are compared and discussed. Suggestions anu
recommendations in regard to rates OF duty on
a;roren. articles are carefully considered in two
aspects:
Eirs.-The nrobable revenue to be derived IRON!
various articles at the rates of duty proposed
Second-Tbe measure of protection which those
rotes would afford TO American manufacturers
and producers.
Many of the facts and suggestions received
from officers Of the Appraisers Department anu
other Treasury officials have an important pear
ing on both these points, and the same reHaih
is applicable to many statements ana sugges-
tons received from manufacturers and mer-
chants Of long experience who are no" 'e''reu
from active business. but who have personally
observed the working and effect OF dinereht anu
differing acts of tariff legislation. and still feel
lively interest in the subject.
DIFFICULT PROBLEM PRESENTED.
That the committee will welcome and be CRATE
fnI for all the assistance 1t may receive in the
wav of pertinent facts. information and sugses-
tions as we'll as advice. goes without saying
The task before II is most difficult and per-
picking one 1t is to repenish the revenues
which at present are wholly insufficient TO meet
the current expenses OF the Government. ana NJ
the same time to impose such rates OF duty Oh
imported goods as will be adequate TO protect
domestic industries from unequal and UNFAIR Tor
eign competition.
The perplexties Of the task have been multi
piled and its difficulties aggravated by the con-
ditions which have prevailed and the legislation
which has been enacted since the incoming OF
the present Administration. The depressing and
unfortunate effect Of the threats which pre-
coded the framing Of the Wilson bill was height
ened by the passage OF that bill through the
House Of Representatives. 1t was then meas
ure to discourage all domestic industries and
paralyze most of them. Under it general pros
perity could not exist In some respects the
Senate improved the bill and in some other re-
spects made 1t worse, and everybody hoped that
at least some Of the more injurious provisions
would be modified by the Conference Committee
TO which il was sent. The hope was blasted
and the measure with all its deformities ana
imperfections became a law. 1t is not surpris-
ing to find that the representatives OF mos' OF
the industries which were enjoying great pros
perity five years ago and which nave ian
euished or suffered utter prostraton IN the last
three wears ascrbe all their troubles to the leg
isation Of 1894 and demand at least restora-
ton of the tariff rates of 1890. Some OF theNi
demand even more than this
PROTECTION STRONGER THAN EVER.
The Committee on Ways and Means must
carefully consider the demands. 1t Will not
be able to satisfy all Of them in full, although
as Chairman Dingey said in conversation win
a Tribune correspondent to-day, 1T is undoupt-
edlv true that the sentiment in favor Of Protec-
ton is stronger in this country to-day than IL
ever vas before. If it had been as strong In
1890 the law we enacted that year would not
have been criticised and denounced so bitterly
as it was
Rut the lawmakers of 1894 did things which
in many respects were even worse than the
reduction of rates of duty. BY ill-considered
and unaccountable changes Of classification ana
the use Of obscure definitions and terms. as wen
as by the wholesale discardlng or specilc anu
compound rates of duty and the substitution OF
ad valorem rates. they not only MADE mess
OF legislative hodgepodge. but deprived the
Government Of at least a sixth OF the revenue
which II was estimated the law would secure.
deprived domestic industries Of large share
of the protection which the law ostensibly gave
to them and seriously injured and crippieu the
business Of honest importers.
CONSIDERING THE CHEMICAL SCHEDULE.
The majority Of the Committee on Ways and
Means have been engaged for week in studying
and considering the first schedule OF dutiape
articIes-chemicals- the aid of the infor-
nation communicated to II by Treasury ofiicials
and bv practical manufacturers and importers
and dealers Of long experience In tnat scheoue
the substitution Of ad valorem for specific rates
than in some Of the other schedules. and it has
worked results which are more astonishing than
satisfactory One Of these Is the apparent heavy
decline in the dutiabe value Of importations-a
decline many times too great TO be accounted for
bv ordinary fluctuations of prices, or even by
hard times" For example, the dutable value
of one article which a pound duty was laid
by the act of 1890 and which Is imported only
from England, where il IL manufactured by Sc
cret process was about $50 ton in 1855 and in
1896 under an ad yalorem rate, the dulable
value had shrunk to about $50 ton.
In this schedule also by changes OF classification.
many articles which separately carried specific
rates of duty were throw into basket clauses
at ad valorem and lower rates. and many other
articles were transferred from the drtiable list
to the free list. In the latter class at least one
article appears on both the dutiabe list and the
free list and a court has been called on to de-
eide whether the article shall pay duty or not.
In view of the facts above recited, as well as
others which might he mentioned, the task Of re-
vision s necessarily an exceedingly slow and
Iabor;ous one and 1t is not surprising 10 hear
that the end Of Schedule a is not yet in sight"
after week Of industrious toll
meeting Of the Committee on Ways and
Means will he held tomorrow for q hearing on
the bill introduced last week by Mr.. ouigg Of
New York to amend the act to prevent the i'm
portation Of spurious and adulterated teas into
the United States. There Is a general demand
on the part Of the tee trade for further re-
strictive legislation on this subject. and the
hearing will probably be an interesting one.
AGREEMENT on THE IMMIGRATION BILL.