The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-06-02

said Mr.. Elikns, allows nearly all of
the coal imported from Nova Scotia
20 enter the New England market at
the fifteen cent rate. Describing the
manner in which this end is accomp-
lished, the Senator said that the Nova
Scotia shipper drops the coal into rail-
road cars from an unusual height and
that the coal is broken still more by
inside in transferring it from railroad
cars to barges. When it reaches Bos-
ton it is in condition to pass through
a half inch screen and take the low
duty fixed for slack. AS most of the
Nova Scotia product is used in making
coke, it arrives in form suited to the
purposes of New England gas manu-
facturers. Mr.. Elkins offered on
amendment defining coal slack which
he believes will prevent this misinter-
probation of the law.
In case of low duty or free coal
more mines would be opened immed-
lately in Nova Scotia said Mr.. FL
kins, land being at the very doors of
New England and the East. the in
creased production would find a mark
ct which, with the low cost of trans
portation and cheap labor. would ulti-
mately drive the West Virginia and
Maryland GOALS out of the New York,
New England and New Jersey markets.
These results would be so disastrous.
so ruinous, and demoralizing that
West Virginia can never consent to
free or low duty, and the coal industry.
it seems to me, not only in West Vir-
ginia and Maryland. but all over the
United States. must be protected in
framing a tariff bill"
In speaking of the petroleum indus
try Mr.. Elkins said he proposed to
vote to protect it by levying reason
able duty on it, and that he would
not vote otherwise in response to n
prejudice against the Standard Oil
Company. He offered figures to show
that during the past two years oil
production has doubled in the United
States The value of oil producing
OF independent concerns ana
Independent refineries, he said, is
about eight times greater than that of
the Standard Oil Company. The indie
pendent producers sell most Of their
oil to the Standard Oil Company,
Which Mr. Elkins explained by the
fact that this company has nearly all
of the pipe lines to the sea and does
most of the refining. According to the
Senator's figures, the Standard Oil
Company produces only eleven per
cent of the crude oil of the United
States and Independent operators pro-
duce the other eighty-nine per cent.
Placing oil on the free list he said,
would injure the independent producer
of oil, because he produces nearly all
the crude oil of the United States.
and foreign oil would compete with the
producer. Speaking for
the 25O independent oil producers in
West Virginia, Mr.. Elkins said that
they insist that if the countervailing
duty on crude petroleum and its pro-
duets is taken off, as provided in the
Payne bill. there should be a duty of
forty percent ad valorem on petroleum
and its products or a specific duty of
one cent gallon on crude oil.
Mr.. Elkins declared that no import
ant American farm product or manu-
featured product in New England.
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
the Northwest and Pacific states.
which completes with foreign products
is on the free list, and CONTINUING Id
said:
IF there is to be a revision or
change in the tariff downward or I'D
ward, or however made. protest why
make it downward on coal oil. lumber.
IRON ore, hides, and other southern
products and not on highly protected
products? Why reduce the duty on
lumber fifty per cent. and increase or
'etain high duty on wheat barley.
cotton, wooden goods, cutlery. shoes.
5uar and many other articles? Pro
ection should not be mountain high on
some competing products with none
IN others. The present tariff bill
must be made right at last. Duties
must be fairly and justly levied and
distributed on foreign products, with
10 favOritism to states or eectinnrn