Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-27

the rest supported the protectionist
side of the case. Here Is the list OF
questions with the answers supplied
by Fastnut Limited of London, manu-
facturers Of many patented tools and
other articles:
Question No. IL wish to know
whether it is not the practice as far
as your personal knowledge and ex'
perience enable you to Judge, in filling
an order for shipment to country
protected by duty, to add such duty
with the other usual charges to your
list prices?
Answer No. I've never add duty
to our list prices on orders from q
country protected by duty, nor have
we ever heard Of 1t being done.
Question No. 2.-Is this duty in
variably paid without question by the
purchaser?
Answer No. 2.-The duty certainly
would not be paid without question
In fact, we are continually being told
"You must keep your price low on &C.
count of the duty" and In every In
stance where there is heavy duty
our net prices are lower than at home.
Question No. BIN case of the In.
crease or reduction of foreign i'm.
port duty, would you maintain your
ordinary list prices, varying the
charges according to the change?
Answer No. 3.-Our experience is
that where country is protected by
duty we have to allow larger dis
count off our list In proportion to the
duty to enable us to get orders, even
though our goods are principally pat.
ented articles.
It is clear from these answers, the
London correspondent continues, that
the exporter and not the consumer
pays the tax. This list of questions
and answers, he adds, should be
posted in every manufacturers Office
and pointed to when anyone tries to
spring the ancient fable that the con.
sumner pays the tax. Continuing he
says:
There is one kind of tax that the
consumer pays, however, and that
is the direct tax by which the revenue
is raised in Great Britain. Perhaps it
isn't fair to call him the consumer,
for If he keeps on paying these direct
taxes much longer there won't be
much left for him to consume. I have
just run across case Of a man who
inherited a small estate which was
proved at about $500, and which
brings in an income of $500 a year.
Before he could touch cent Of 1t he
had to make the following payments
to the tax collector:
Estate duty at per cent. ..$212
estate 1grfv Is IL
Legacy duty on specific legacy. 19
Distribution fee. ...............
Legacy duty on residuary estate. 292
Total ................ $b5O
That is to say that the man had to
pay three years. income to the state
before he fingered penny of the
legacy left to him by his relative.
There isn't any doubt Of the fact that
under free trade the consumer pays.
There is Just one piece of protective
legislation in this country, and,
curiously enough, it stands to the
credit of Lloyd-George, the free trade
chancellor of the exchequer. That is
the patents act which makes 1t i'm
possible for foreigners to exploit
British patents unless they manu-.
facture the patented articles in Eng
land. The act has been in force for
two and half years, and a return has
Just been issued showing that in this
two and half years foreigners have
been compelled to invest just about
$5,0OO000 in England and give employ
ment to over 5000 English workers.
More than that. they have been COM
PEELED to contribute about 100000 to
the municipal and county taxes in the
districts where they have erected fac
tories Here is another. case of making
the foreigner pay.
It's all settled now! At last, head.
quarters have been heard from. Ida
Tarbell says the Payne tariff bill is a
disappointment! The government 8
records show that the first years re-
suits of the bill are an increase in frn-
ports, an increase in exports, an in
crease in goods admitted free, a de-
crease in the ad valorem duties of the
total imports, decrease in the ad va
loren duties Of the dutiable imports,
and our mills and factories still work
ing full capacity. But figures and facts
do not count against wind.
We thought things were getting along
in good shape. But they are not, be-
cause Ida says they are not. However,
we know they are, and everyone else
knows it too, but Ida knows thai if she
wrote an article that did not find fault
with something or somebody, there is