The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-11-21
REyENUEPRODUCING QUALITIES

or the Present TarlR Iaw-Customs Re.
csiprs Amount to UsuaI Proportion Al.
IOt,td To ThiS Branch OF Revenue
Producing Service.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2O.-The recent
discussion as to the revenue producing
qualities of the present tariff law lends
especial interest to series OF tables
just issued by the treasury department,
showing the receipts from various
sources by months during long term
Of years.
An examination Of these figures shows
that the customs receipts got the treas
ury department now amount to one
half Of the ordinary expenditures OF the
government, which is about the usual
proportion allotted to that branch Of
the revenue producing service. The or
dinary expenditures OF the government,
aside from those Of the postotIlce de-
partment, which is practically self-sus-
tanning are usually calculated at $l,00O,-
900 per day, and averaged during the
years 1884 to 1897, $500. 100000 per annum
and at about the same rate in 1888,
emitting the Pacific railroad and extra
ordinary expenditures. The general
plans Of those charged with the duty
OF providing the revenues for the gov
ernment have contemplated the produc-
tion OF one-half Of the necessary ex-
penditures from customs and the re-
naming half from internal reVnue and
miscellaneous sources. or in other words
half million dollars day for cts
toms and a half million dollars day
from Internal revenue and miscellane-
Gus.
Interesting, therefore. to examine the
detailed figures OF the receipts Of the
government during the time in which
the present customs laws have operated
under normal conditions and to deter
mine whether It IS supplying Its assign
ed proportion, one-haH, OF the normal
expenditures The daily statement Of
receipts and expenditures issued by the
treasury department shows than on Mo-
Vember II, the 10th day Of the present
fiscal year. the customs receipts had
during these 140 days amounted to TS,-
34O.429. OF this sum a little over one
million dollars from the duty placed on
tea by the war revenue act, so that fully
$72, 100000 OF the $73, 0,429 received in
these 40 days are the legitimate normal
revenue from the rates levied by the
customs law enacted IN July, 1897, or q
little more than the promised rate Of
half million dollars day from customs
under that act.
The receipts from customs during the
past ten years have averaged N6, 10000
per month. This ten years term In
Cludes the operations Of four tarlh laws,
and 1t Is therefore interesting to COM
pare the operations Of the new law at Its
various stages with this general aver
age during q ten years term which in
cludes the operations Of four tariff acts.
As 1t was not expected that the new
law would In It's first three months OPP
crate normally In It's production OF Gus
toms revenue, owing to the excessive
lmportations just prior to its enactment,
It is thought proper to show first the
average receipts during the frst four
months Of Its operation included IN the
calendar year, 1897, and also to consider
separately the last four months Of its
operation, dating from the beginning Of
the present fiscal year:
Receipts from customs, monthly aver
age: Ten years, 1SS9-9S, SIS, 199, 900; Au-
gust to December. 1897, S9,227.000: jan
uary to November !, 1898, $15,O71, 900;
July / TO November /, 1898, $l5, $685. 900.