The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-25
TAXED HIDES AND RED TAPE.
The Penalty Which Manufacturers
Pay for Their Draw backs

Officers Of the customs service look with
favor on the movement, organized as the
Free Hides League, to secure from Con-
gross next winter the repeal of the pres
ent duty of Is per cent on an hides of
cattle coming into the United States. The
ordinary answer that has been given by
friends of the tax, when its injurious eff
fects on the export trade in shoes are
cited. is that the law grants a drawback
of 80 per cent in all such ,casss. While
this is theoretically true, the difficulty for
the conscientious manufacturer in prov
ing his claim to the drawback is very
large. Some idea of the detail involved
may be CLEANED from a letter addressed
by Assistant Secretary Taylor to the col
lector of customs at Boston.
manufacturing company at Campello.
Mass, desired to secure the drawback on
an expectation of mems shoes in which
the outer soles, the counters. the heels,
and the top lifts were made from sole
leather produced from imported hides. Mr..
Taylor's instructions Were that the entry
under which the merchandise is to be in
spected and laden must show, separately,
the marks and numbers of the shipping
cases and the contents of each case as
described in the export invoice. Attached
there must be a tabulated statement
showing the number and style of each
kind of shoe contained In the shipping
cases. and the number and description of
the parts on which drawback is claimed.
The entry must further show. in adj
dition to the usual averments, that the
exported merchandise was manufactured
of the material and in the manner set
forth in the manufacturers sworn state
ment, a copy of which was already in the
collectors hands AS a part OF the draw
back entry and a prerequisite to liquida-
ton, the manufacturers must file certi-
fed copy of the tannery record covering
the sole leather used in the shoes includ-
ed in the drawback entry, and the certifi-
cate of the manufacturer of such leather
for purposes of identification. In liquida-
ton, the weights of leather consumed in
the manufacture of the several parts,
which may be taken as bases for allow
ance Of drawback entry, after official YER
ification of exported quantities and kinds;
but in no case shall such weights exceed
1850 ounces for each 100 pairs OF shoes
exported.
No one can read a set of regulations Of
this kind realizing all the vexation and
delays which il involves in the manu-
facture of Shoes without wondering at
the lengths of protectionism which die
tated such q tariff. No shoe manufac-
turer, even though he is using imported
hides in his business generally, likes to
be limited in any class of shoes entirely
to those materials when in certain parts
the domestic product could be worked in
to better advantage. The trouble of man
ufacturing shoes in one way for the home
market and in another way for the for-
eign market is also considerable.
And what is the return for all this labor
and trouble? The revenue yield is trifiing,
and the benefit to the stock raiser, If any,
is very slight 1t is generally hoped in
Treasury circles that. In the interests of
our growing export trade, we may soon
return to free hides. The movement for
it promises to be very strong. as will be
the movement for reduction of the duty
on white pine. The two forces should
work together, as the Is per cent tax on
hides and the g duty on white pine were
both serious offences to common sense.