The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-11
On sugar ImpOrtntions Alone the Loss
Last Year through UndervaIua-
ton Was Five Millions.
NEW SCHEDULE COMPLETED
1T PROVIDES FOR THE IMPOSITION
OF SPECIFIC DUTIES
And Retaliation Against Countries
That Pay Sugar BOuntfes-Senate
REORGANIZATION Talk.
Special 10 the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, March 10. - An expert
employed by the ways and means commit
tee to dig into the sugar-tarif problem
has reported that the government lost
100000 last year on sugar importations
through differentiation. He made his CAL
culations on the amount of and quotations
Of foreign sugar received in American ports
and the amounts and quotations at Liver
pool and other foreign commercial centers.
His method of calculation was very simple
and direct. and the conclusions arrived at
strengthened the committee in it's deter
mination to substitute specific for ad va
loren duties. The decision of the commit
tee to make the duty 15s cents per pound
on all sugars testing Sc degrees Of saccha>
rine strength py polariscope will. it is esti-
mated increase the government revenues
about $20OO0.0OO year.
What effect this tax. with its sliding scale
of duties on sugar above and below this
96-degrees standard will have the sugar
trusts is a matter of speculation. Very
much more will depend upon the action of
the President in establishing reciprocity re-
lationS with sugar-producing countries than
upon the direct tax of so much per pound
on sugar. The committees report in favor
of making a discrimin ltng duty on sugar
imported from bounty countries equal TO
the amount of that bounty. the figures to be
fixed by the President. is a matter of quite
as much importance to The sJgar-producinc
interests of the United States as any other
provision of the bill. 1t is understood also
that the committee will recommend the i'm
posing of a differential tax of one-eighth
of l cent per pound, or double the pres
ent differential tax.
Another report says: The Repub-
lican members of the ways and means COM
mite to-day finished their work on the
sugar schedule and took up the wooden
schedule. On the latter they came to no
defienite decisions. but the points i'm the
sugar schedule which had been reserved I'M
I'll to-day were decided. The differential
was fixed at one-eighth of 1t cent a pound
on sugar above sixteen Dutch standard
This was thought to be a sufficient allow
| ance to cover the difference between the
cost of refining in the United States and
other countries where sugar Is free. What
amounts to a retaliatory duty against
| bounty paying countries was agreed on.
| 1t is in the form of an additional duty TO be
| levied on sugar imported from those coun-
| tries which pay bounties. equivalent to the
| net amount of the bounties-that is, the
| amount OF the bounty less any internal taxes
| levied on the sugar in the country whence
| IL comes. This provision leaves IL with the
executive officers TO fix the tariffs on sugars
1 from bounty paying couE,-ies and to de-
| eide what the net amounts of the bounties
! paid by foreign governments are. Under
| ii the duties on imported sugars will be
raised or lowered as the bourIies paid by
| other governments are changed. It's adj
/ ministration may be difficult at times on
| account of disputes which have arisen i'm
| the past and may come up IN the future as
! to what constitutes a bounty with the
| various forms of taxes rebates and boun-
| ties imposed sugar.
| The wool schedule promises to be the
| most difficult which the committee has to
| fix account of the conflict OF interests
| between the growers and manufacturers.
| When the Mckinley bill was framed a
| schedule was practically agreed on by the
representatives Of the two interests. which
| simplified the work of the committee
| Since that time the sheep Taisers have de-
| clafe1 that the manufacturers got the best
| of the agreement, and although several
| conferences between the two bodies were
held recently they came to nothing. The
| Wool Growers Association has asked for
| duties much larger than those I'm the Nc
| Kinley law. After the wool schedule parts
| OF the pottery schedule and the free list
and some administrative features Of the
| bill Only remain to be settled.