Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-12
Some Of the Peculiar
Things Caused by Tariff
Are Brought Out in the Debate
In The Senate Tuesday.



tariff bill was taken up by the Senate
Tuesday Alarich stated that the com
lnittes on hnance would submit to the
Senate q different scale of duties on
zinc ore and products of zinc and ask
ed that that schedule, as well as sec
tions unacte on. relating to lead prod
ucts, be passed over for the present
The request was conceded.
The committees amendment striking
GU, the House daty OF one-half of one
cent per pound on refined nitrate OF
saltDetre was agreed to. 1t is under
stood that product will BE- placed on the
free list.
On motion of Aldrch the section re-
1ating to soap was amended so as to
place duty of 80 per cent. adj Valorem
on perfumed soap which he said was
Tor revenue purposes.
Inc House provision on sulphur was
further amended so as to place Grade
sulphur On the free list and to provide
Tor duty Of - ton on refined sui
,hur the present law and the House
bill providing for q duty of So a ton.
As result Of an understanding
reached after d discussion of the par
liamentary status IF the bill hereafter.
the Senate as in committee of the
" hole will finally adopt each paragraph
OF the bill as reported. unless passed
over by agreement and no further OPP
portunty will be had to amend the
measure until it has reached the par
liamentary status before the Senate.
Speaking in favor of a reduction of
the duties on stone and earthenWare
AS ii means Of giving the people gem
orally cheaper goods of that kind. l5a-
con offered an amendment reducing the
rate from 80 to 3t per cent. ad va
loren.
Stating that this industry eXempli-
fed the best influences of the protec-
tive tariff system. by encouraging home
production while 1t the same time he
ing submitted to lively competition
from abroad, DOlliver said he would
vote against the proposed decrease of
duty
PaCnn's amendm-nt was defeated by
a vote of - to -. LaFol,rttr being the
only Republican who voted in the af-
firmative with the DcmoC rats.
Explaining that n" desired rate
Of duty on common crockcry ware
which would reduce it's cost to the con-
sun.er Bacon offered another amend
ment to reduce the rate from 81 per
cent. ad valorem as it stood in the bill
to 10 per cent. After considerable de-
bate the amendment was voted down.
50 TO u.
Newlands suggested the appointment
of an official body to inquire int" and
report concerning the differences in
wholesale and retail prices SO that CON
gross might have proper information.
Saving he had such information to
illustrate the great difference in whole
sale and retail prices, Flint said he
had in mind an instance OF set of
Havi'and china costing to import s5.1.
with As cents packing charges, IS cents
custom house charges and S4.0s duty
making in all $lo.s". " hich rctailed for
$3t He instanced another case of an
article costing Al cents to import which
retaileo for $50. These. he said, were
the prices in the great department
stares of the East and in the North
western states the prices We're incrcas-
ed 80 per cent.
Fifty per cent. more said Hale
Yes. 80 per cent. in addition t. those
large prices replied Flint.
SmOot cited a case of a razor. the
manufacturers wholesale price o:i
which was s3.al a dozen. which sold tor
81 each to consumers. Gloves, lie said.
manufactured for s. Al per dozen. sold
Tor 81 per pair. These high prices. he
said. had nothing to do with the pro-
tective tariff, because. compared with
the retail price the tariff charge was
small
Fletcher inquired whether there were
not agreements between the manufac-
turers and the jobbers and later be-
tween the iobber and the retailer to
sell at stipulated prices.
Scott Indignantly denied tina: he knew
of any such agreement
McLaurin defended the retail dealers
against the charge of extortion and
SAID the high prices resulted from the
tariff
Does the senator know" interrupted
Hale. that tea. which IS admitted free
in this country, is SOLD here at an adj
vance of 500. 400 and 800 per cent. on
the wholesale price? What does the
senator from Mississippi pay for it?"
inquired Hale.
Il don't buy tea retorted the Mis-
siSsippi senator, smiling. II buy cOf-
fee
Well, the same thing applies to cof-
fee. said Hale.
Lodge said that tea selling at Is cents
pound in this country is retaiied for
90 cents a oound.
McLaurn insisted that a tariff of 10
cents pound on tea would increase
the price of tea to that extent.
why do YOU Republicans DENY
that" inquired Tillman. when you
have been telling the people you will
not place any burden on their tea: The
senator from Iowa the other day said
you dare not put any duty on it,
,Tillman then, addressing himself to
Hale. asked whether he would join him J
is voting for 10 cent duty on tea