Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-28
REDUCING WAR TAXES
Ways and Means Committee
Gives Hearing to Beer
and Tea Men.
Brewers Claim Present Tax Has
Wiped Out Nearly All
Their Profits.
Promises of the Government AL
legged Not to Have Been
Kept.

Washington, Jan. 2S.-The ways and
means committee temporarily laid
aside the subject of Cuban reciprocity
and entered upon the question of re-
ducing the war revenue taxes. During
the morning the tea interests We're
heard on the proposition to take off
the tax of 10 cents a pound on tea
imposed by the Spanish war revenue
act In the afternoon the beer men
were heard. Albert p. Sloan OF New
York, president of the National Tea
! Duty Repeal Association, made the
opening statement. He summed up the
appeal for reduction as follows:
| 'First-The duty is an excessive
hardship upon the four classes of peo
| pie interested consumer, retailer,
wholesale grocer and tea importer.
"Second-The duty is injuring per-
manently the quality of tea sold and
consumed.
"Third--The poorer classes pay the
tax in full and the better classes are
gradually being deprived of the best
itea.
"Fourth-As the tea duty is war,
tax it should be removed now that the
war is over and there is a surplus in
the treasury.
| 'Fifth-As the country is already
heavily taxed upon the principle of
protection it should not be doubly
taxed on an article which demands no
protection.
/ phiIar Martin Roach of
New York, John Moore of Boston, John
Magruder of Washington and others
spoke along similar lines in favor of
| taking off the tea duty.
The opposition to the proposed re-
duction was opened by w. ]. Bucktield,
| a tea importer of New York He said
the 10 per cent duty had operated ben
officially in keeping out the poor grades
| of tea, including the Japanese tea
dusts which had been mixed with 9th
! err teas. This gave the country better
qualities of teas and eventually an i'm
provement in quality would lead to an
increased consumption of tea. He stat
ed that the price of tea would advance
| by q removal of the duty and, he said
prices already had advanced in the ex
pectation that the tax would be re-
moved.
"a. Burlingame Johnson, recently
United States consul at Annoy, China.
large shipping point for teas, gave as
a result of his experience that the duty
lhad operated to stop the shipment OF
| poor tea to this country and that the
duty had fallen on the Chinese dealer
instead of the American dealer and
consumer. This closed the tea hearing
. q
p. m.
AT the afternoon session the beer
people were represented by ofilcials OF
their organization. including n. w.
Kendall of New Haven, Conn, presi
dent of the United States Brewers As
/ ISOLATION; George j. Obermann of Bal
timore, chairman of the committee on
/ federal relations of that association;
Rudolph BraEJ of Chicago. former
president, and Robert Grain of Balti-
more. of the board of trustees. Many
members of the house attended the
1 hearing.
/ President Kendall said assurances
had ben given when the war taxes
were imposed that they were for war
purposes and would terminate with the
war. There was no trust in the brew
II Ing traQS, ne occurred, ana large
tunes had been made in the business, it
was before the Spanish war. The
brewers had paid to the government
in 1900 s73.55o.754, and their profits
either had been wiped out entirely or
had been reduced to a pittance. LIN
conclusion Mr.. Kendall said:
THE TRUSTEES of the United States
Brewers Association express the SEN
11,..1,,
ing industry when 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 domestic production and do
nestle consumption, should have been
the first to be wholly repealed; and
that now, in its distressing condition.
the American brewing trade has no
upon your sense of justice and your
willingness to redeem pledge and
promise repeatedly and solemnly made
by your honorable committee"
Chairman Payne, in reference to Mr.
Kendall's appeal that congress keep
the promises of repeal heretofore
made, said that congress and the COM
mittee had kept ahead of their prom
Uses. Inc tTOuDie Idu pSGl tHdt thS
requirements of the government had
Elargly increased. The reduction In
war taxes last year, Mr.. Payne said.
had gone as far as the government
conditions should justify Now the
committee would further consider
what additional reductions were justi-
fled.
Mr. Obermann spoke of the numer-
Gus failures In the brewing world. The
industry was thoroughly American,
with American labor at high wages,
but he declared 1t was not treated like
other American industries.
Mr. Brand of Chicago referred to
the enormous surplus Cutting the
treasury, and said this should impel an
immediate performance of the prom
Uses heretofore made that the war tax
should be repealed. He maintained
that malt liquor was food and not a
luxury and that it's use in place of
spirits made 1t an effective agency for
! temperance.
Mr. Grain of Baltimore said the pres
ent tax was particularly onerous on
the small brewers and that it's con-
tinuance would bring about a large
number of failures.
A local delegation representing the
No,;o,,al Malt J,iuIlor ASsOcia ton