Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-13

washington, April 12.-The Senat
committee on finance. with all mem
bers present, met at 10 o'clock toda.
and Chairman Aldrich presented tn
bill as amended by the majority of tn
committee. Many of the revenue pro
ducing features will be reported sub
sequently as they are intertwined witt
administrative features of the meas
ure which will be adopted later.
Senator Aldrich. when requested +
make a brief summary Of the genera
character of the changes proposed J..
the Senate finance committee to TIL
House tariff bill, furnished the fol
lowing statement:
In the main the rates in the tarif
bill as reported from the Senate ii
nance committee are lower than thos'
in the bill as it passed the House. The
actual number of reductions being
about three times the number of in
creaseS. Such increases as have beer
made have been largely rendered nee
essary to preserve the symmetry o.
the schedules. A considerable number
of articles in common use have beer
taken from the dutiable list of tht
House bill and restored to the free list
The great mass of the rates reported
are below those of existing law.
In Schedule A. the chemical sched-
ule), the principal changes are in the
nature of reductions below the House
bill One important change is in put
ting distilled and expressed oil upon
the free list.
In Schedule B, (earths and earthen-
rnfn q in a roo q
same In the House bill by a change
in the phraseology from existing law
the duties on common earthenware in
two colors are raised from 25 to GO
per cent. The committee has reduced
them to the rates of existing law. IN
glass and glassware the rates remain
the same as in the House bill.
The Senate committee restored iron
ore to the dutiable list at IS cents per
ton, reduction of Is cents ton from
the Dingley rate. The House had
made large reductions in this sched-
ule throughout. Nearly all these re-
auctions have been retained by the
Senate committee. In addition to those
made by the House, the Senate COM
mittee has made quite large num-
Der Of other reductions.
The Senate committee has retained
the House rate on lead ore of 1-2
cents per pound, but has been obliged
to raise the rates on lead products
throughout the bill to correspond with
this duty on lead ore.
Schedule d wood and manufactures
of wood). The Senate has taken the
House rate of 81 thousand on rough
lumber a reduction of 81 from the
Dingley law and has retained the
House rates on manufactures of wood,
nearly all showing reductions from the
Dingley rates. The only important
change in the schedule made by the
Senate committee was the restoration
of imported hard woods to the free
list
The Senate committee left the sugar
schedule as it came from the House
but reduced the House rate on sugared
biscuits and waters from SO to 20 per
cent.
The tobacco schedule remains I'M
changed.
The agricultural schedule including
meat products remains practically I'M
changed from the existing law, but
where reductions were made by the
House the Senate committee has re-
stored the Dingley rates. in response
to the demands Of farmers throughout
the country and representatives of the
great agricultural interests.
Fish remains as it comes from the
House.
The Senate has returned cocoa to the
free list, believing that an article Of
such general consumption. both as a
beverage and in all forms of chocolate,
should no more be made dutiable than
tea or coffee. The committee felt that
if 1t was necessary to increase revenue,
it could be done better OH Injuries than
on the every day necessities of life and
have pursued this policy in the COB
struction Of this bill. 3.
The Senate committee has applied
the same principle to spices and has
restored them to the free list, where
they have always been. Again, on the
same principle, the Senate committee
has increased the rate on spirits and
wines IS per cent. throughout, which
it is estimated, will yield an additional
revenue Of s3,000,000, most OF which
will come from the increased duty on
champagne. ---.'+
In the cotton schedule there has been
an extension of the specific rates to
cover class of fancy goods and nov
elites which are covered in the existing
law by ad valorem rates. The resulting
ad ,valorem rates have not been in
creased.
The average rates in the, cotton sched-
ule, other than the rates on fancies and
novelties, remain the same. There is
one exception to this statement and
that is the reduction from the House
bill on fashioned hosiery, where the
committee has recommended the re-
storing Of the rates Of the existing law
The committee contemplates = still