The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-18

"One problem that confronted the com mittee was the question of revenue. The business of all commercial nations has been depressed for nearly two years. and this has affected our commerce and great ly reduced our revenues, so that we have a large deficit, but the revenues under the present law are improving from month to month as business conditions are be- coming better.
 "The last normal year of imports was the fiscal year ending June 50. l9O6; 19O1 was an unusually prosperous year and the revenues from customs exceeded those of 1906 by S30 000 GOO The committee have, therefore. taken the year 1906 as the basis to form their estimate of the rev enue producing qualities of the new bill. Should the next fiscal year prove pros porous and the normal conditions of 1906 return, on account of the large increase in population the revenues for 1910 would show a considerable increase over the estimates of the committee.
 With a return of anything like nor mai conditions during the next fiscal year it is safe to predict that the deficit would be entirely wiped out. but in case it is not the bill provides for the issue of Panama canal bonds to reimburse the treasury for the s4O,000.000 paid out in the original purchase of the canal. This would more than make up any probable deficiency. There is also re-enacted the provision for the issue of certificates to run one year to replenish the treasury, raising the amount from Sl00OO0,O0O to $25O, ,O0O, GOO, an amount sufficient to pro- vide at any time against two or three years of depressed business conditions.
 The statement gives the rates in the present law, the Dingley tariff and shows the changes that the Payne bill pro- poses.
 The abstract of the bill continues;
 Changes Proposed.
 "The committee have transferred some articles from the free list to the dutiable, and have increased duties on others for the sole purpose of increasing the reve- nue. Most of these articles on which duties have been increased are luxurieS which have been increased as follows:
 "Perfumeries and toilet articles from 50 to 50 per cent ad valorem; fancy soap from b to 20 cents per pound; chieory root, raw not dried, from 1 cent to 21a cents per pound; roasted from 21s cents to cents per pound.
 Cocoa. crude, transferred from the free list to the dutiable, at cents per pound; prepared or manufactured, increased cents on each classification except that valued above 35 cents per pound, which remains the same. Ten per cent ad va lorem is also added to the duties assessed  per pound; powdered cocoa from 5 cents to cents per pound
 Cocoa butter from 3h cents to 512 cents per pound; dandelion root and ar ticles used as substitute for coffee, 21z cents to cents per pound.
 Spices which are now largely on the free list are assessed an average duty of 30 per cent ad valorem.
 "Feathers are increased from 15 per cent to 20 per cent ad valorem and dressed or colored feathers receive an increase of 10 per cent Furs, dressed on the skin, are assessed 2715 per cent ad valorem.
 Duties on the following articles have been increased because the committee found that there was not sufficient pro- lection under the present law" said MT. Payne.
 Coal tar dyes or colors, now bearing duty of 30 per cent to S5 per cent ad va lorem; zinc in ore, now brought in at 20 per cent ad valorem, to 1 cent per pound for the zinc contents contained therein.
 Peas, split peas, from 40 cents to 45 cents per bushel. Figs, from cents to 21a cents per pound. Lemons, from l cent to 115 cents per pound. Pineapples from $7 per thousand to $S per thousand.
 Cotton Increases.
 Increases in the cotton schedule are:
 An additional duty of l cent per yard on mercerized fabrics Ca new process of manufacture invented since the present law was enacted).
 Also a small additional duty on lap pets There Is also an increased duty on stockings fashioned and shaped wholly or in part on knitting machines"
 Changes in the paper schedule, which in- clude those recommended by the special committee on wood pulp and print paper investigation, are:
 "Surface-coated papers, covered with metal, from cents and 20 per cent to 5 cents and 20 per cent ad valorem other surface-coated paper from 212 cents per pound and 15 per cent ad valorem to cents per pound.
 'Lithographic prints from cents per pound to cents; cardboard from % cents to 9 cents per pound; other paper, 20 cents to 20 cents per pound, with small increases on various sizes of other paper. Photographic cigar labels from 20 cents per pound to 30 cents per pound; printed in colors less than eight, from 20 cents to 30 cents per pound; more than eight, from 30 cents to 371a cents per pound; printed in metal leaf, from 90 cents per pound to 521a cents per pound; paper hangings, from 20 per cent to 30 per cent ad valorem; paper not specially provided for, from 25 per cent to 35 per cent ad valorem.
 "Plain paper envelopes from 20 per cent to 30 per cent ad valorem.
 '"The recommendations of the select com mittee were to permit the free entry of mechanically ground wood pulp from any country not imposing export duty, and to reduce printing paper valued at not above 2A cents per pound, from three-tenths to one-tenth of 1 cent per pound valued not above 2a cents a pound, from four tenths to two-tenths of cent per pound.'
 Numerous Reductions.
 The reductions in duty are much more numerous than the increases. In the schedule on chemicals, oils and paints they are:
 "Boracic acid borax, from cents to cents per pound; reductions of 2 cents per pound are made on gallic and tartaric acids, borate of lime. Reductions of 50 per cent are made in the duty on salicylic acid, chloroform, fruit ethers, oils or es- sences, peppermint oil. whiting and paris white dry; bichromate and chromate of potash and santonin.
 "Borax of lime and other borate ma terial Is reduced from 4 cents to l 12 cents per pound, and from cents to 1 cent per pound according to the per centage of anhydrous boracic acid con- tained
 "Sulphuric ethers are reduced to 8 cents per pound; spirits of nitrous ether to 20 cents per pound. 'Iodoform, from $1 to 75 cents per pound Flaxseed linseed and poppy seed oil reduced to IS cents per gallon.
 "Varnishes reduced from 35 to 20 per centum ad valorem; and spirit varnishes from $1.32 per gallon and 25 percentum to 25 percentum ad valorem
 Lead Acitate of. white, from 3A cents to 27s cents per pound; brown,