Evening star., 1909-05-23
REVENUE FROM TARIFF
Duties Collected for a Period
of Eighty-Eight Years.
INCREASE OF FREE LIST
Merchandise Admitted Without
Duty 44l1a Per Cent in 1908.
RECORD FOR CUSTOMS IN 1907
Pending Bill Arranged on the Eu-
ropean Plan Of Maximum and Min
imum Rates for Retaliation.
RECORD FOR CUSTOMS IN 1907
BY WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The bureau of statistics has recently
published very interesting and elaborate
statement bearing upon the tariff discus
sion which seems to have escaped atten-
ton. 1t contains review of the effect
Of the tariff laws Of the United States
upon commerce and upon the revenues of
the government. 1t shows the amount of
duties collected for period Of eighty
eight years upon different articles Of i'm
port, the share Of the imports which paid
duties. the average ad valorem rate on
all merchandise, the duty collected per
capita and the share of the revenues OF
the government paid in at the customs
houses annually ever since we had a
tariff.
Until civil war times nearly we were
almost entirely dependent upon the duties
collected upon imported goods for money
to pay the expenses of the government
From 1891 down to 1S4S the other sources
of revenue seldom produced more than a
million dollars.
In 1863, however, the present system of
internal revenue was established. the re-
ceipts therefrOm in that year being in
round terms $3S.0OO.OO0. while the Gus
toms receipts were $64.OOO,OOO. In the
period from 1864 to 1868 the internal
revenue receipts averaged $217.OO0,O 600 per
annum and the customs receipts $137, 600, :
600 per annum. With the close of the
civil war period internal taxes were modi-
fed, and the annual average of internal
revenue receipts during the period from
1869 to 1897 was $133, 100000 per year and
the customs receipts $1S1 ,OOO. coo per year.
During the Spanish American war pc
rtod, from 1898 to 1902 the receipts, from
internal revenue averaged $264. 100000 per
year and the customs receipts $2l2, 600, 600
per year. With the modification of the
internal revenue taxes following the close
of the Spanish-American war the receipts
therefrom again fell below those of the
customs, and the annual average of the
internal revenue receipts in that period
between 1903 and 1908 was $245, 900 600,
while those from customs were $2S4, ,OOO,-
600.
Increase Of the Free List.
From 1890 down to 1893 less than 10
per cent Of the merchandise entering the
country came in free of duty. From 1888
to 1874 the share admitted free of duty
ranged from % to SO per cent of the total.
ported free of duty ranged from to II
per cent of the total. From 1857 to 1863
the share imported free Of duty ranged
from 20 to u per cent. From 1853 to
1867, the share imported free OF duty
ranged from II to 19 per cent. From 1867
to 1873 the proportion entering without
payment Of duty ranged from AZ to Sk
per cent OF the total. Beginning with
1878. the share of merchandise imported
free of duty steadily increased, commenc-
ing with II per cent In that year and
reaching 81 per cent of the total in 1882;
80 per cent in 1894, 4S1z per cent in 1896,
1872 per cent in 1898, 471a per cent in
1905. and 441a per cent in 1908.
The duties collected in the custom
houses of the United States for 1907 aver
aged % per cent of the total value of the
merchandise upon which they were i'm
posed And that was the lowest aver
age since 1850, when 1t was 16 per cent.
There has been a downward movement in
the tariff ever since thescivil war. In 1870.
when the government needed the greatest
amount of revenue that could be collect
ed in order to pay off the public debt,
the average duty upon imported goods
was AZ per cent. and it was never so high
before or since, except In 1880, when 1t
was As per cent. In 1850 it had been re-
duced to % per cent, and became gradu-
ally lower until jast before the war.
The maximum having been reached In
1870, the decline has been continuous
until the present day. From 1880 to
1890 there was no. change in the tariff
schedules, and the average amount of
duties collected upon imported goods was
| 20 per cent. In 1896 when the Dtngley
law was passed, duties were CONSIDER
ably reduced. Since then there has been
a gradual annual decline until today the
average duty is only % per cent of the
value of the merchandise, and twelve ar
ticles or classes of articles pay nearly all
the revenues that come from that source.
Statement Of Customs Collected.
The following statement shows the
amount of customs duty collected during
the years named:
1921 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $1e, 900, 900
1880 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2S, ,OOO, 900
1850 Observation-Disclosures. 4O,OOO.OOO
1860 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 63, 600 900
1870 Observation-Disclosures. 1872. 0OO, 600
1880 Observation-Disclosures. 133, ,OOO, 900
1850 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 221 900, 900
1900 229, ,0OO, 600
1907 ........................ 32S OOO. 900
1908 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2S3, ,OOO 600