The age-herald., 1902-01-28
Ways and Means Committee
 Asked to Lower Mar Tax
QUALITY OF TEA IS LOWERED
Beer Interests Claim Their Profits Have Been Reduced to Mere Pit tance By Tax Imposed
 By Congress.

Washington, January e7.-The ways and means committee today temporarily laid aside the subject of Cuban reciprocity and entered upon the question of reducing the war revenue taxes. The proposition to take off 10 cents noisnd on tea and the tax on beer were considered.
 Albert P Sloan of New York, president of the National Tea Duty Repeal Associa- tion, summed mp the appeal for reduction on tea as follows:
 First-The duty is an excessive hard ship upon consumer, retailer, wholesale grocer and tea importer.
 Second-The duty injured the quality of tea.
 Third-The poorer classes pay the tax in full and the better classes are gradu- ally being deprived of the best tea.
 Fourth-As the tea duty is a war tax 1t should now be removed.
 Fifth-The country should not be doubly taxed upon an article which de- mands no protection.
 The opposition to the proposed reduction was opened by J. B. Buckfield, tea i'm porter of New York. He said that the tea duty had resulted beneficially in keep
 
 duty was removed he said the benefit would be reaped by the foreign exporting companies.
 A. Burlingame Johnson, recently Uni ted States consul at Annoy, China. stated that the duty had operated to stop the shipment of poor tea to this country
 Argue Against Beer Tax.
 The beer people were represented by officials of their organization. including N. W. Kendall of New Haven. Conn.,. president of the United States Brewers Association: George Obermann of Balti- more, chairman of the committee on Federal relations of that association; Rudolph Brand of Chicago, former presl- dent. and Robert Grain of Baltimore of the board of tr;,stees.
 President Kendall said assurances had been given when the war taxes were inn posed that they were for war purposes and would terminate with the war. He compared the rate placed on beer with that imposed by Great Britain as an in- cident to the Boer war, showing the American rate to be much higher. He referred to three men engaged in the iron industry reaping an annual profit of sixty million dollars from their busi- ness The breweries had paid to the government in 1900 $13.550 754, and their profits either had been wiped out entirely or reduced to a pittance. In conclusion MT. Kendall said:
 The trustees of the Cnited States Brewers Association express the sent- ments of the entire American brewing in dustry wner they state that the war tax upon our products. being the highest and most destructive tax ever imposed, here or elsewhere upon an article of domes- tic production and domestic consumption, should have been he first to be wholly repealed, and that now, in its distressing condition, the American brewing trade has no hope of relief except that which rests upon your sense of justice and your willingness to redeem pledge and promise repeatedly and solemnly made by your honorable committee
 Ahead of Their Promises.
 Chairman Payne, in reference to MT. Kendall's appeal that Congress keep the promises to repeal heretofore made, said that Congress and the committee had kept ahead of their promises. The trouble had been that the requirements of the government had largely increased The reductions In war taxes last year MT. Payne said, had gone as far as the government conditions seemed to justify Now the committee would make what additional reductions were justified.