The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-21
TAX ON TOBACCO
TO BE REDUCED
Senate Committee Reaches
Decision on Sunday.
WAR REVENUE
CUT CONSIDERED
Less May Have to Be Paid on
kilograms.

Washington, Jan. 20.-The senate
finance committee was in session the
greater part Of today making an effort
to complete consider alton of the war
revenue reduction bill il order to be
able TO present its report tomorrow. 1t
did not succeed. but the work was so
nearly completed that it is believed one
or two more meetings viii suffice for
that purpose. There are still many
/ items of the bin which have not been
finally passed upon, but all of them
have been so completely canVassed that
there viii not be any great difficulty in
reaching u conclusion.
The committee is still Withholding Of
fetal announcement of its proceedings
from the public but some facts con-
corning its conclusions are known.
Tobacco Tax to Be Cut.
It is not probable that there will be
a very much greater total reduction
than Was made by the bin as ~ passed
the house. but the reduction will be diff
ferently distributed. The most import
ant conclusion reached is to reduce
from IL to 9 cents the tax on tobacco.
There is also to be "A reduction of the
tax on cigars and snuff The house left
all these articles untouched. The SEN
ate committees decision as to those
articles viii reduce the revenue receipts
about $4,000 600.
This reduction viii be made up by
declining to accept all the house resolu-
tons. Consequently all the articles
from which the house took off all the
tax viii be given half the former rate
by the senate committee 1t is prob
able that on proprietary articles the
formula of which is public, the tax will
be entirely removed. while upon those,
the formula of which is secret. it viii
be retained entirely. The tax on steam
ship tickets viii be reduced. The tax
on Steerage tickets viii be removed en-
tlTely- The tax on stock transfers prob
ably viii be continued on the par value
of the shares at present but this mat
ter has not been definitely passed upon
The members of the committee express
the opinion that to place the tax upon
the selling value of stocks would be an
invitation TO fraud.
Beer Tax Still Open.
The beer tax has been discussed at
considerable length, but no absolute
decision has been reached. The present
tendency is to leave the rate as fixed
by the house. The tax on kilograms
also remains undecided
Some of the members of the commit
tee have made an effort to have the
law amended so as to reduce the tax to
a half cent per message, but 10 make
the telegraph companies pay it. This
OkiD'ttAtlA IDS AAAtL DEt-ll dEtEJLEt4 III aus
entirety, but the reduction seems prob
able.
The form of the bill viii be altered
materially.
Bill Coming Up This Week.
The senate will take up leg
islative executive and judicial ap-
Precipitation bill Monday as soon
as possible after converting. There
is little in the bill that ordinarily
seem improbable that several days may
be required to act on it because Of the
desire on the part of some senators
to postpone consideration of the ship
subsidy bill as long as possible. The
shipping bill VIII be made the unfin-
iShed business whenever in the opinion
of the friends Of that measure it is wise
to give il thar place; but in view of
the fact that it viii be displaced by ap-
preparation bills whenever senators in
charge of these measures desire to take
them up, il is pr0ba bic that the motion
to give the biH the place of vantage
viii be postponed until after the con-
sideration of the legislative bill
Revenue Bill to Come Up.
Senator Aldrich, chairman of the
finance committee. probably viii report
the war revenue reduction bill Monday
or Tuesday. and he will ask immediate
consideration for that measure. The
rules Of the senate give preference to
revenue bills, as they do to apprOpria-
ton bills, and no order of the senate
viii be necessary TO make a. place for
that bill. It is not probable that any
effort will be made to dispiace apprO-
priation bills with that measure, but
all senators seem undivided in the
opinion that it must become a law dur
ing the session. and If there should be
an occasion when il would be neces-
saTy to decide between il and some bill
other than an appropriation bill, the
preference almost certainly would be
given TO the revenue bill. The present
impression, however, is that this bill
VIII soon be disposed Of Democratic
senators probably viii make an effort