Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-09-28
TARIFF TAXES HOMES.
Trusts, However, Are Fostered
and Coddled.
COST OF BUILDING MATERIAL.

DtnEley Lnw-GOvernment Collects
a Small Proportion of the Tax,
the Combines Getting the Balance.
A federal tax upon homes can hard
~ be defended, and yet that Is what
the present tariff law inficts upon the
American people. The aspiration, to
own a home is inherent In the human
breast, and yet the present Republican
tariff law prevents many from realiZ-
ing that yearning by vastly increasing
the cost Of building materials. The
government instead of protecting and
fostering home building protects the
trusts II combines, which it fosters
by he tariff, which preys upon the peo-
pie and by eXacting enormous profits
IN nearly everything that goes into the
building Of a home either makes a
home impossible or so increases the
rent of those who are compelled to
hire n that they are never able to
own one of their own.
The cost of building material has
advanced so per cent since the Dingley
tariff bill was enacted In 1897. Part
Of that increase may be charged to
higher wages, but the figures of the
bureau Of labor show that the average
increase Of wages since the enactment
Of the Dingley law has been only
about 13 per cent, so that the tariff, it
b estimated, is responsible for more
than half Of the increased cost Of build
ing material.
There was held in New York city a
few weeks ago a meeting Of the Unit
ed States League Of Building and Loan
Associations, at which a paper was
read by Fred Cyrus Leubuschcr, one
Of the delegates, showing how the home
builder is handicapped by the present
tariff Oh building material. He esti-
mated that the increased cost through
the tariff was at least 25 per cent Of
the total increase Of prices Of SO per
cent. He made a detailed statement
Of the tariff tax on building material
and described how he arrived at it as
follows:
1t requires a great deal of calculation to
arrive at the average rate of duty under
SAuC GILL dSl VI 1901. VII SOltlS pTOOuClS
the duty is imposed according to weight
or quantity, on others according to value
and on still others according to both GUAM
tity or weight and value. On portland ce-
ment, for instance, the rate is s cents per
100 pounds and on other cement 20 per
cent ad valorem. I have, however, taken
the report Of the bureau of statistics Of
the department of m and labor
and carefully calculated the ratio between
the imports for the year ending June 30.
1904, and the duties collected thereon, and
I find that the average percentage of duty
On the principal materials entering INTO
buildings is as follows:
Brick and tile 80
Cement
Iron and steel nails
Iron and steel pipe
lAeao
Lime
Lumber (planing mill product) ...........15
MdIDie
Paints (white lead)
Paper hangings
Tin plates .33
Varnish
The remarkable fact of this increase
in the price Of building material
through the tariff is that the govern
ment collected in 1903 less than $12,-
100000. including materials not used
in the average home building, such as
asphaltum, coal tar, oxide Of cobalt,
iron beams and Orders, marble and
onyx, so that less than 2 per cent Of the
federal revenue is derived from this
source-surely, as Mr.. Leubuscher
says, not enough to warrant the gov
eminent in discouraging the building
Of homes by continuing this tax. 1t
will be seen from the above table of
percentage tariff rates that it is nearly
prohibitive on most building materials
that is, the trusts and combines con-
troll the home market and collect the
tariff tax themselves by adding that
much per cent to the price they would
otherwise charge if foreign materials
could freely come in and compete with
them.
The rich people Of the United States
can, Of course, pay this increased cost
of building their homes without incon-
v%enience or any great strain on their
resources, but the farmer, workingman
Ouu pcOplC Will llLllleu 1lCOlleS clLueI
find it impossible to build homes or
have to be satisfied with poorer ones,
and If they are fortunate enough to
own a home they cannot often make
even the necessary repairs and i'm
provements.
Then the large class of people who
rent houses have to pay a much higher
rent to the tariff tax on building
material Rent being a charge of from
10 to rs per cent Of the incomes Of or
binary people. an increase of 10 to 20
per cent in rent has to be met by a
decreased use Of other necessities or of
luxuries. High rents postpone the day
when they can hope to build homes Of
their own And yet the representatives
Of the people-that is, the Republican
majority in congress-refuse to revise
the tariff which imposes this tax upon
homes for the benefit # the trusts and
combines that control building mate
rials.
BegetsH41ascla1ty.
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