New-York tribune., 1912-01-23
DEMOCRATIC STEEL BILL
Makes Reductions of from 80 to
so Per Cent.
MANY ARTICLES MADE FREE
Underwood Estimates Increase
of Steel Imports by Nearly
S2O,O00,000.

Washington, Jan. 22-Reductions Of from
20 10 80 per cent on all items In the iron
and steel schedule and the placing on the
free list Of iron ore. sewing machines,
printing machinery. cash registers, nails
and many other articles on which duties
are row levied arc proposed in the Demo-
cratic steel tariff bill. made public to-day.
Mr. Underwood, the Democratic leader es-
timated that the bill would reduce the aver
age tariff on steel imports from a.5l per
cent to 22.i2 adj valorem, and would reduce
the government tariff revenues from steel
products by sS23597 from 1911 and by A'"c-
0O0 from 1910. Imports Of steel products, ne
said would be increased by nearly S2DOo,Uo9'
The bill was completed by the Democratic
members OF the Ways and Means Commit
tee on Saturday. After being submitted to
the full committee 1t will be laid before
the Democratic caucus tomorrow ater-
noon. II approved by the caucus II VIII be
formally introduced In the House Wednes-
day.
Among the articles now dutlable under the
Payne Aldrlch bill which would be placed
on the free list are the following:
Iron ore. existing duty 529 per cent; hoop
and band iron and steel. l6 per cent; baroed
wire and wire fencing, ~ per cent; nalIs'
17.b7 per cent; horseshoes, q per cent
tungsten ore. 10 per cent zinc ore. So.Si per
cent: cash registers, linotype machines
machine tools printing presses, sewing
machines and typewriters 80 per cent
The reductions made on finished steel
and iron products are in many classes as
great a. 50 per cent. The figures given out
by the Committee on Ways and Means to
hot
make a corresponding reduction in tarin
revenues from these sources.
The rates of duty under the Payne-Al-
rich law have been reduced TO the cqulNs =
lent ad valorem duty. Using the ad valoreih
equivalent as a basis the important redhc-
tions proposed by the bill are as follows;
Slab iron and steel from OBJ 10 W PCi
cent: round iron In coils or rods, A't0 ~
beams girdcrs. etc. 30 to 10; boiler piate,
81 to 20; sheet iron or steel, 32 TO 10 steer
saw-plates. . to l5, iron or steel forglnGs. "
to -; ball and roller bearings 10 TO ., hoop
iron, l73 to 10. band iron. 81 TO To- railway
bars. 1874 TO 10: railway nshplates, ~ 10
10: steel ingots. q .3 to 10; rivet, screw ana
fence rods. II to 10; anvils, 3l.9 to l1' auto
mobiles, motorcycles and bicycles, ~ 10
40: axes and axle bars, liSl to 10; BLACK
smith tools, l7.l2 to 10; bolts, 29.JI TO 10,
cast iron pipes. all kinds, lo.l3 TO 10;
chains. q TO %; knives and cutlery. "o-
- 80 to 20; carpenters, butchers and aru-
sans knives, kitchen knives and FORKS
i3i3 to -. files and rasps, bl.l6 10 Zo' mus
kots and rifles. % to 10; breechloading snot-
guns and rifles 1854 to 2j. table, Kitchen
and hospital utensils 10 to p. needles ana
bodkins. 81 to %: flshhooks, 6 to 10; hshing
rods reels and tackle. - to q; engraved plates
for printing. elcctrotypcs and stereotypes,
q TO Is: rthograph plates. 20 To %; saws.
243O 10 T.: umbrella and parasol rlhS ana
strctchers. 20 to 30; railway wheels S.6} to
2j. aluminium and alloys, 1913 To p. anu
mony 16 To 10. German silver. y to 10,
bronze powder. etc. 81 To 2j; brazIcrs' cop
per, H. IS To :: gold leaf. 1856 10 %. and
silver leaf. $40 to 30: pig iron. 10" To =
strap iron. So to s: ferro- manganese ore,
II to G52: chrome metals. D69 70 l5' har
iron and steel 1880 10 10.
Tinscl wire. etc, IS Increased from lob
10 30 per cent
Tinsel wire products are reduced from ei
10 ~ per cent: hooks and eyes, $3.50 To 10:
lead bearing ore - TO p upon the lead con-
tents. lead bullion. 1883 to y. nickel ana
allows. $3.50 to 10. pens, except gold. ~ 10
y. gold pens. g. not changed: pins, - tn %;
quicksilver. 10 to 10: type metal - TO 10;
watch movements. 20 to 20: zine in blocks
or pigs. % 10 T.; metal cans and packages
S. to -. bottle caps. 20 TO 3O steam engines
20 to p: nippers and pliers. 50 to 30.
All other articles are TO bc dutlahle at
o. per cent ad valorcm, whore a rate is not
specifically given. While barbed wire ls
put on the free list. telegraph and telc-
phone wire has a rate NJ 30 per cent ad
yalorCm.
|. The Democratic members Of the Ways
and Means Committee, az soon as they com
plcted the iron and steel schedule. began
work on revision Of the chemical schedule.
The committee me. tonight for severa,
hours. going over data on the subject and
discussing the preliminary work OF a sub
committee.