Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-27
Customs Division of Treasury
Adjusting Regulations.
is PERPLExING PROBLEM
Schedules Of the Law Show Revi-
sion Downward.
NET RESULT OF THE ANALYSIS
No Serious Errors in Text, and En-
actment Regarded as Consist
ent and Scientific.
BY WILLIAM +. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS
| 'ritten for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
| The officials of the customs division Of
| the Treasury Department have had a
perplexing problem in adjusting the regu-
| lations OF the service to the new tariff
act. l suppose 1t should be. called the
Aldrich act. because the senator from
Rhode Island seems to have had a good
deal to do with its preparation and pas
| sage. The previous tariff was called in
honor of Representative Dingley, who
was chairman of the ways and means
! committee when It was enacted. Previous
to that was the Wilson law, called in
honor of William l.. Wilson Of West Vir-
| ginia, the only democrat who has had
such distinction for more than half a
century. and the act of 1890 was called
after William Mckinley. who was chair
man of the committee on ways and means
that session. Although no one can claim
the authorship of any of our tariff laws,
| for purposes or Identification each Of them.
SO far back as history goes, has borne the
name of one of the committee, usually
| the chairman of ways and means, who has
| managed its past legislative career. Hence
let the present act carry the escutcheon
Of Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, because he
will be blamed for everything that is
, wrong with it, and will receive mighty
little credit for anything that is right.
The more the new law is examined, and
the officials of the customs division have
| been subjecting it to a thorough analysis,
| the more evidence they discover that the
revision was downward rather than up
ward. While the duties upon many
articles were increased. the duties upon
many more were decreased. The net re-
Gil fC Anr hi la roft
soon the exact number and amount Of
reductions and advances will be known,
and probably published.
Consistent Tariff Law.
1t is undoubtedly the most consistent
| and scientific tariff law that has ever been
enacted. It contains no oddities or &C.
centricities, and thus far no serious err
rors have been found. Usually the en-
crossing clerks have left out commas or
inserted semicolons which have provoked
controversies and caused litigation and
perverted the intention of Congress. Sew
eral years ago the accidental insertion Of
comma nullified an entire section and
by a similar mistake in another law the
importation OF a certain article was alb
solutely prohibited, when the congress
sional committees intended that it should
come in free. But there are no freaks
in this law. and. as have said, the gen.
eral tendency Is to lower duties.
There Is no change whatever In the
wooden schedule. The same old duties re-
| main upon every article, although the
other day 1 was shown circular from
a tailoring establishment which notified
its customers with great regret that, ow
ing to the advance In duties on high
class suitings by the new tariff, it had
been compelled to raise its prices Is and
20 per cent. This is an old trick and it
was used very generally after the enact
ment Of the Mckinley tariff as a pre-
text for increasing prices There was
general advance in the cost Of living IN
attributed to the Mckinley tariff. al
though that law was not responsible tor
per cent of the increase. Many import
ers, wholesale dealers and manufacturers
are already taking advantage of the Aid
rich law for the same purpose.
Advances in Fine Cotton Goods.
With cotton goods it is different There
were several advances in duties on fine
goods and high-class fancy articles. There
was no advance on made-up wearing ap-
parel, but on the cotton fabrics imported
from foreign countries the increase
ranges from a small amount to very
large one.
The silk schedule remains about the
same, with q 1914 per cent decrease in the
duty On raw and partially manufactured
silk.
The linen schedule was treated in a re-
verse manner. There was an increase of
l21s per cent on the raw material and
decrease of from 10 to 33 per cent upon
the finished goods.
1t is not necessary to say that the farm
ers are we'll protected. Congress has
great respect for the agricultural classes,
and there was a general increase in the
duties upon their products, except lard,
bacon and hams. The duties upon those
articles are reduced Is per cent and on
knl1 oil q
small decrease in the duty on peas-no-
body knows why. It must have been
mistake. And the duty on milk and cream
has been reduced from II cents to cents
a gallon, for which there is no explana
ton. although it is suspected that some
creamery on the border wanted to in
crease its supply from Canada; but no.
body knows who is responsible. There is
also small decrease In cornmeal, which
Is odd. because none is imported.
There are several reductions in the
| fish schedule, and salt is from to 12h
per cent lower.
Drugs and Chemicals.
There are a few advances In the duties
on drugs and chemicals. but the number
Of reductions Is very much larger.
There has been considerable increase in
the duties on plate glass, earthen and
glass ware, mantels and tiles and similar
articles.
The iron and steel schedule shows the
largest reductions and very few increases.
The duty on lumber is reduced from 81
| to $l25 per thousand, but that on shin
giles is Increased from 80 to 50 cents a
thousand.
The duty on wood pulp and on print pa
per has also been cut, but not to any
degree as much as is desired by the news
papers of the country. and members of
Congress who are responsible will be
adequately punished.
There is a general advance on all kinds
| of alcoholic liquors from $225 to $3.50
| a gallon, and the retail pr,ce Of cham
payne, and other French wines and liq-
uors will go up considerably on Satur-
day next, when the reciprocity arrange
| ment with France expires. Under the
Ding!ey law the duty on champagne was
! IS a. case, which was reduced to s.
case by the commercial treaty nego-
tiated with France shortly after. That
treaty is abrogated upon the 31st of Oc-
tober Sunday next, and the new duty,
which Is So. 60 case, will hereafter be col
lected until a new treaty is arranged.
This will increase the retail price of
champagne by So 60 case; cognacs, 81 80
a case: all cordials from $135 to $2TO
case; $1.65 per case on still wines:
sparkling burgundies. $500 a case, and
other wines accordingly.
After the 31st Of March next, unless
the President decides that the French
tariff on American merchandise Is fair
and reasonable, an additional duty OF %
per cent of the value of the goods will
be added. which will make the total duty
on champagne $13 a case, or 81 more
Ixl, xxr,{on Se.