The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-15
BABCOCK'S NEW BILL
FOR IRON AND STEEL
SCHEDULES
MANY ARTICLES ON FREE LIST
Author of the Measure Says 1T Is in
Line With Republican Platform
and Acceptable to
Manufacturers.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14-Representa-
tive Babcock, Of Wisconsin, today intro
duced a bill placing a number of articles
OF the iron and steel schedule on the
flee list, and materially reducing the
duties on other articles throughout the
iron and steel schedule. The presenta-
ton of this bill has been awaited with
much interest owing to the attention
aroused last year by a somewhat SINH
lar bill; and Mr.. Babcocks position both
as Republican member Of the ways and
means committee and chairman eff the
Republican congressional committee The
bill is more extended than that Of last
year, and was drawn after conferences
and correspondence with the steel and
iron interest the purpose being to place
the rates on a strictly protective basis.
The articles placed on the free list are
the heavy products of the furnace, while
the rates on other articles on the scned-
ule average about one-half the present
rates Mr.. Babcock made the following
statement summarizing the measure:
THE bill 1 introduced affects only the
iron and steel schedule of the DingIey
act. 1t differs from the one I present
ed last session in several important fea-
lures. The former bill was intended to
call the attention of congress and the
ways and means committee to this sched-
ule generally, but was not in shape to
pass without full consideration. This
bill, on the other hand, has been drawn
with care, and attempts to meet present
conditions intelhgently. 1t is an effort
to maintain the theory of protection in
accordance with the best Republican
traditions, and to prevent the party from
becoming responsible, by non-action
for schedules that have been outgrown
by changed conditions and finance made
use of by combinations to extort unreal
sonable prices from domestic consumers
1.-THE bill presents the views of many
intelligent men who are themselves in
terested in the iron and steel industry,
and who are experts in all matters touch
ing this subject. 1 have also had the
aid of experts from the treasury depart
ment in analyzing existing laws, and in
framing this BILL and it is in shape to
pass without opening up the general
tariff question.
Products on Free List.
Il have placed the heavy products of
the furnace on the free list, such as iron
and steel in slabs, blooms loops, beams,
girders and all structural iron or STEEL
boiler and ship plates, steel rails steel
ingots, steel billets and bars.
The steel and iron schedule is very
complicated, and the placing Of these
articles on the fire list required the re-
adjustment of nearly all Of the para
graphs in schedule c. After numer-
GUS conferences with iron and steel man
ufacturers these paragraphs have been
amended upon strictly protective lines;
that is, each article is given full pro-
lection as compared with the cost of
production in other countries, which still
leaves a margin in our favor. For in
stance, tin is quoted f. o. b, in England
at So per box. The price in Pittsburg
as ST. I have reduced the Dingley rate
from S1.50 to 81, which would equalize the
price and leave the foreigner to pay the
cost of transportation and insurance
in order to sell tin in this market
1T does away with certain paragraphs
with the high rates which We're neces-
sary a few years ago, and brings the
schedules into line with the changed con-
ditions.
81 have been especially careful not to
reduce schedule where labor was the
greatest part of the cost Of the article
and there is no single item in the entire
bill, whether it provides that the article
shall go on the free list, or whether it
remains on the dutiable list, that will in
any way affect labor
THE whole bill is in line with the
Republican protective policy as advocated
in the national platforms, and by it's
greatest champion, the late President
Mckinley. It affords ample and full pro-
lection where it is necessary, and places
on the free list those articles that are
produced here cheaper than they can be
in foreign Countries