The San Francisco call., 1909-09-18


10 such q point that any industry
heretofore protected should be injured.
Hence those who contend that, the
promise of the platform was to reduce
prices by letting in foreign competi-
ton are contending for free trade
and not for anything that they had
the right 10 infer from the republican
The ways and means committee of
the house, with Mr.. Payne at its head.
devoted "a full year to assembling eyi-
the tariff. and devoted an immense
amount of work in the study of the
question where the tariff rates could
ibe reduced and where they ought to be
raised. with a view to maintaining
TeasonablF protective rate under the
principles of rthe platform for every
industry chat deserves protection.
COST OF PRODUCTION
They found that the determination
Of the question. was what the actual
costfo OF production is. and whether an
industrysin this country could live un-
der certain rate andSwithstand COM
of theraItmost difficulty in settling. The
manufacturers were prone to eXag-
eeraIe. the injury which a reduction IN
the duty would. give and TO magnify
the amount of duty needed. while the
Importers, on the other hand. who were
interested in developing importation,
were quite likely to be equally biased
Mr.. Payne reported a bill-the Payne
tariff bill--which went to the senate
and was amended in the senate by in
creaSing the duty on some things ana
decreasing il on others.
The difference between the house
bill and the senate bill was very much
less than the newspapers represented.
THE SENATE REDUCTIONS
1t tNrns out upon examination That
the reductions in the senate were
about equal TO those in the house,
though they differed in character.
Now. there is nothing quite so diff
ficult the discussion of the tariff
bill, for the reason that it covers so
many different items; the meaning OF
the TENS and the percentages are most
difficult TO understand. The passage OF
a new bill, especially where a change
in the method of assessing the duties
has been followed, presents an op-
portunity for various modes and cal
culations of the percentages of in
creasesi and decreases that is really
most misleading, or really throws no
light at all upon the changes made.
654 DECREASES MADE
One way of stating what has been
done is to say what the facts show
that under>the Dingley law there were
2O24 items This included dutiable
items only. The Payne law leaves 1,l5G
of these items unchanged. There are
decreases in 654 of the items and IN
creases in 22O of the items. Now, of
course, that does not give full pic
ture, but it does show the proportion
of decrea ses TO have been. three times
those of the increases.
Attempts have been made to show
what the real effect of these changes
have been by comparing the imports
under the various schedules and assum-
ing that the changes and their I'M
portance were in proportion to the lnl-
portations. Nothing could be more un-
lust in a protective tarln which also
contains revenue provisions. Some or
the tariff is made for the purpose of
increasing the revenue by increasing
| importations which shall pay duty
Other items in the tarlf are mace 10
reduce competition; that is, by redue-
! ing importations, and therefore the
question of the Importance OF change
/ in rate can not in the slightest degree
be determined by the amount or I'M
ports that take place.
IMPORTANCE OF CHANGES
In order to determine the Importance
of the changes it is much fairer to take
the articles on which the rates of duty
! have been reduced and those on which
the rates have been increased and then
determine from statistics how large a
/ mart the articles upon which duties have
been reduced play in the consumption
of the country, and how large part
| those upon which the duties have been
/ increased play. Such table has been
prepared by Mr. Payne, than whom
there is no one who understands better
what the tariff is and who has given
more attention TO the details of the
/ schedule.
THE DIFFERENT SCHEDULES
Now. let us take schedule A-chemic-
ais. oils and paint. The articles upon
which the duty has been decreased are
! consumed in this country to the extent
of $433, ,00O.0 600. The articles upon which
| the the duty has been increased are
consumed in this country to the extent
of $11.000.o00. Take schedule B-earth-
enware and glassware. The articles on
which the duty has been decreased are
consumed TO the amount of $12S,0oo,00e
| and there has been no increase in duty
! on such articles. Take schedule C-met-
ais and their manufactures. The amount
to which such articles entered into the
consumption of the country is $1248,-
100000, whereas the articles of the
! same schedule on which there has been
an increase enter into the consumption
of the country to the extent of only
$11. 100000. Take schedule D--lumber
The articles in this schedule upoI
| which there has been a decrease entel
into the consumption of the country Il
the extent of s566,000, 600, whereas the
4 articles under the same schedule OF
which there has been an increase enter
into this consumption to the extent o
$4,000, 600.
AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS
In tobacco there has been no change
In agricultural products those in which
there has been reduction of rate.
enter into the consumption of The
country to the extent of s483 900, 600
those in which there has been an in
crease are consumed TO the amount OF
81, ,000. 600. Take the schedule wines
and liquors. The articles increased
enter into the consumption of The
country TO the extent of $462, 600 600.
In cottons there has been change il
: the higher priced cottons and an in
crease. There has been no increase il
the lower priced cotton, and of the in
creases the high priced cottons entei
t into the consumption of the country t,
the extent of s41, ,000,0 900. Schedule
flax, hemp and jute The articles
/ upon which there has been decreas,
enter the consumption of the countr,
] to the extent of 22.000,000 while those
upon which there has been an increas
enter into the consumption TO the ex
tent of $4,000 900.
In schedule K, as to wool, there ha,
been no change In schedule l. as [,
silk the duty has been increased ol
articles which enter into the conshInp
, ton of the country to the extent o
, $4,000, 900. and has been decreased ol
I articles that enter into the consump
! tion of the country to the extent o
! 800, 000, 600.
: PAPER AND PULP
on paper and pulp the duty has bee
decreased on articles that enter int
. | the consumption of the country to til
extent of $67 7,000,000 and increased o
articles that enter into the conSumr