Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-02
DUTY FREE APPROPRIATIONS.

DUTY FREE APPROPRIATIONS.
Practically one billion dollars
worth of merchandise from foreign
countries entered the United States
free of duty in the year just ended.
The exact figures, just completed by
the Statistical Division of the Bureau
of Foreign and Domestic Commerce,
are $992,376,460, against 1874 million
in 1911, 636 million in 1907, $50 mil
lion in 1905, 40S million in 1902, and
342 million in 1900, the value of non
dutiable merchandise imported hay
ing thus practically trebled sin the
last twelve years. These figures OF
duty-free merchandise relate only to
that coming from. foreign countries.
II to these were added the value OF
merchandise entering from Hawaii
and Porto Rico, all of which enters
free of duty, the total value Of nom
uulltIDlc HlcIClltllluloC CliLCllh6 Soh
tinental United States in 1912 would
be Sl,OS4,00 900, since the merchan-
disc received from Hawaii in that
year was valued at $4,000, 900, and
that from Porto Rico, SAL 100000.
While most Of the merchandise enter
ing from the Philippines is also nom
dutiable, it is included in the general
group OF imports from foreign coun-
tries, since those islands are still
classed with foreign countries in the
records Of our foreign commerce.
The share which non-dutiable mer-
chandise formed of the total Imports
in 1912 was "a per cent, against SIS
per cent in 1911, and 49.27per cent in
1910. The percentage of the imports
entering free OF duty in 1912 was
greater than in any earlier year e
cept 1894, when abnormally large
quantities Of sugar, which was free
ullueI Ilc dCl vi low, "do IulllSuly
imported in view of the prospective
restoration Of a duty on sugar by the
tariff law enacted in that year.
The principal articles forming this
billion dollars worth OF duty.free mer
chandise entering the United States
in 1912 are hides and skins, India
rubber, raw silk, raw cotton, rfibers
tin, copper, nickel, wood, oils, furs
fur skins, coffee, tea, cocoa, fruits
nuts, spices, fertilizers, art works
over 20 years old, uncut diamonds
and certain chemicals. The value Of
the leading items in the free importa
ton Of 1912 was coffee, $13O,544, 1872;
hides and skins. $12l,169,395 india
rubber, $99,447, 673; raw silk, $77,4O1,
93l; pig tin, $50,371, 102; copper, $56,
956,259; tibers, $39,21O,792; raw cot
ton, $23,S47 ,9O5; oils, $24,165,927
fruits and nuts, $20,S57, 1923; tea, 81,
944,2S4; cocoa, $l6,917 I, 1856; fertilizers
$17,S9L,5S7; uncut diamonds, $9,S63,
40; and art works, $59,5S2,432
The share of the merchandis:
which enters free Of duty has great.
Increased in comparatively recen
years. In earlier years of tariffs ant
tariff making, the number of article!
admitted duty-free was limited ant
the percentage which their value
formed of the total imports extremely
small, the free list" of the first tar
if act %including merely %saltpeter, pis
tin, tin plates, lead, old pewter, brass
iron and brass wire, copper, wool
dye woods and dyes, raw hides, furs
and deer skins. The Act of 1916 ma
terially increased the number of ar
ticles admitted free Of duty, though
the percentage which they formed o
the total was still small. In; 1921
the first year for which a detailed rec
ord Of the imports is presented, thu
share of the merchandise entering
free of duty was 81 per cent. From
that time on down to 1882 the share
which dutySfree merchandise forme,
OF. the total still remained below i
per cent. In 1889. however, the shar.
suddenly increased to 25.1 per cent
in 1884, 46.5 per cent; and by 1874
was 1876 per cent. From 1874 fol
ward to 1872 the share entering FIRE
Of duty seldom reached 20 per cen
hut in 1873 began q marked increas
in the share Of the imports ,ad'nitte
free Of duty, free imports in 1874 b