The Washington times., 1909-03-26
Ad Valorem Duty Imposed
Upon Spices and Other
Condiments.
27,OOO,OOO POUNDS
ARE USED ANNUALLY
Pepper Is Found on Table of Rich
and Poor and Is One of
NeceSS SSaTieS.
By 7. c. WELLIVER.

It takes quite a good deal of some
alleged luXuries TO keep the United
States going year by year
For instance, 1t might not occur to
many people that the white and black
pepper used in this country in a year
would require about thirty long freight
trains for its transportation To be ac-
curate. we use 100000 pounds Of pep
per in a year, every bit of it imported,
unless the pure-food law mods and a
few shiploads of olive pits are ground
UP and mixed with it. But that has
10 be done after it gets into the coun-
try. Now, 27,0O0,OOO pounds Of pepper
means that if it were loaded into cars
at 40,OOO pounds 10 the car-and after it
was boxed for shipment it would be
difficult to average 50 heavy a load-it
would require 675 cars for its trans
portation- At twenty Of these cars TO
the train, it would make up just less
than thirty-four trains.
That's some pepper If it's a luxury,
it's everybody's luxury. There are no
people who don't use some Of it; every
body requires some. Perhaps they would
he better off without it, but the fact
remains that everybody uses it. and
that the rich man doesn't use more than
the poor man. II is fairly 10 be rated,
by any reasonable sta ldard, as one Of
the necessaries Of life.
Find 1t a Luxury.
But the Payne tariff bill sets pepper
down. along with other spices. as a
luxury, and imposes duty OF 50 per
cent ad valorem on il. Under the Ding
ley law It has been, and now is, ad-
naitted free Of duty. IL was regarded
as an incident to the untaxed break
fast-table policy Of the Republican par
". down TO the time when the Payne
bflI was drafted. That policy received
A severe shock when the Payne com
rnittee got into action II discovered a
LOT of Iuxuries that nobody had ever
suspected before, and pepper was one
of them.
From the free list TO 30 per cent ad
vaIorem is a pretty stiff increase In the
tax. That q 70O0. 900 pounds OF pepper
would nay almost a million dollars OF
duty under the Payne bill. The import
er would have to invest 80 per cent more
in IT, and therefore, TO earn profits on a
so per cent larger investment So he
would raise the price enough 70 cover
the increase, and also profit on the
increase. So would the wholesaler who
handled Il next; likewise the retailer
who passed IL out to The breakfast-table
consumers BY the lime 1t had beer
gifted over the breakfast-table potatoes
IL would represent a good deal more
than an additional million of cost. md
BII because it's supposed 30 be a luxury
in the mind OF the craftsmen OF the
Payne bill
One of Long List.
But pepper is only one OF a long lis
of spices scheduled for heavy increase!
under the new measure II appears IN
fact that this country uses annually
about 60,OOO.0OO pounds Of all kinds Of
spices. II spices are the luxury Of the
rich, and If IL be assumed that there ar
only a limited number Of the rich. theT
Il viii be apparent that they eat mostly
spices Somebody must eat these spices
for they come in regularly, year by
year. AS a matter OF fact. everybody
Uses them, and in about the same pro
portions.
This list OF spices is highly inter,
esting. II seems that we use a little
over ,0OO,0 pounds Of cayenne pep,
per a year, on whicn the tax is now
1-2 cents per pound. II costs the
importer about cents ptr pound
where he buys il. Add 10 that the
present duty makes il cost 2 II cents
exclusive OF freight, interest, insur-
ance, and all other charges 10 get ii
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