The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-05-01
Opposed Vigorously by Rep
resentative Plumley in
gress
Ac
'yARRE MANUFACTURE
ERS' SIDE NOT TOLD
He Asks Why There Is Such
Slight Reduction in
Marble

The proposed reduction Of the tariff
on granite, in which Barre is greatly in
terested. was opposed in Congress this
week by Representative Frank Plumiey
of the second Vermont district. who. in
q speech last Monday took Barre gran
ite as an Illustration. Representative
Plumley's remarks concerning the gran
itc tariff were as follows;
= would invite your attention to an
other schedule in whicli my constituents
are most deeply interested. would
take yon to Barre. Vt. the largest cen-
ter Of the granite industry of the world.
Thirty years ago the granite industry
in Barre had practically no existence;
under the fostering conditions Of a Re-
publican protective tarid since ss3 it
has now no rival.
sin paragraphs 100 and l0l. Fl. r.
1921, we find manufactured marble placed
at a rate Of 45 per cent, reduced from
80 per cent. and manufactured granite
at 25 per cent, reduced from 80 per cent.
Why the gross dissimilarity in the rates
iff for revenue of 1894 for three wears
the rate Of duty on manufactured gran
ite was at 30 per cent, aside from those
three years from 1883 to the present it
has remained with marble at so per cent.
NWhy the change? Aside from the
most ordinary monumental purposes
both may be classed as luxuries As
revenue producer it should be so placed
and taxed. A man who is able to build
house of marble at cost of $l2 a
cubic foot viii not notice change Of
per cent. in his favor. but the gov
ernment will lose just that much rev.
enue. Why the reduction Of 80 per cent.
in the rate of duty on granite and 10
per cent. only on marble? Largely they
are competitors. Examination of the
report of the majority of the committee
on ways and means discloses no specific
explanation. hence If found it mnst be
under ths general principles underlying
the revision--table 4, page Q, classes
marble as a luxury. IF luxury why
any reduction? is not manufactured
granite also a luxury? What man of
moderate means buys either, except for
ordinary monumental purposes at mod
crate prices? Tn what regard is gran
ite. except for such monumental psr-
poses. necessity? Why is it excessive
ly reducedf
"Table ), page IL, deals in necessaries-
Schedule B is anxiously studied but evi-
IDENTIFY granite is not elassed as a me-
eessity; but grindstones are, and the tar
iff burden on grndstones should be re-
dueed in accordance with the declara-
tio1 of purpose on page to the lowest
possible point commensurate with rev.
enne requirements and the srobber pro-
tective tariff of 1909 rates them at Sl75
per ton and the immaculate compete
tive tariff of 1918 at sl.5o per ton.
a reduction OF % cents on a ton, of
eighty nine one hundredths Of per cent,
or about cents on a 300-pound grind
stone. And similarly are Injuries, such
as marble. lowered instead of increased
5 per cent. and the tariff burdens re-
duced on the necessary grindstone eigh-
ty-nine one-hundredths of | per cent
"Aeroplanes are classed as luNuries,
and in accordance with the manifesto
on page the committee has kept in
mind the making the Injuries of life
bear their proper burden of the tariff
Under the 'ill-con-
ceived' tariff Of 1909 aeroplanes as lux
uries were rated at 45 per cent: under
II. r. 1921 only 25 per cent--not an in
crease but a reductions yes, rednc-'
tion of 20 per cent
"'Comhts and fruits of all kinds, pre-
served containing over 10 per cent of
alcohol, tariff of 1909. 90.9s per cent
II. r. 1921. 10 per cent; and game, ex-
cept birds the excoriated tariff in 1909
places at 2ls cents per pound and the
proposed tariff OF 1918, which is to make
the 1uxuries of life bear their proper
burden of the tariff responsibilities
this tariff reduces the duty on game to
IL cents per pound. Oriental rugs and
carpets. and those woven whole for
rooms under the plutocrat tariff of 1909
bear rate of 5s.le per cent; under the
Democratic poor mans tariff of 1913
they are rated at 80 per cent. Evidently
the Republican tariff OF 1909 placed
too heavy burden Of responsibilities on
Injuries which il is the clear duty Of
the Democrats tariff cf 1918 to correct
by lessenine them.
Why the Reduction?
eThere is no answer in the bill o, the
report 10 my question, Why is the tsuf
on manufactured Hnafble EeuuctN "hil
Der cent. and the tariff on manufactured
granite reduced 80 per cent: But there
( a reason. and perhsps ! find il. In
No. 4 OF the hearings. relating to Sched-
ale n. on page sos. find the statement
n Mr.. Frank J. Harnold Of Townsend,
Townsend a Co. 453 West Twenty-iirst
street. New York City. representing the
National Association Of Wholesale Gran
he Dealers. comprising Is firms engaged
IN the business Of selling domestic and
imported granite monuments at whole
ale. He recommends that the tariff on
granite b. reduced from
n per cent to 20 per cent. He claimed
hat at 20 per cent ad valorem the cost
II the imported article would Be IN eN-
,sss Of the cost Of domestic article. and
% prove it he submitted a brief in Nhich
le shows that certain granite, .. @. b.
Aberdeen. Scotland. costs SS2-S- that
he duty. az ~ per cent, Is Sass; freght
md delivery /. d b. cars New York IS
I'll. making q total 81 s34.56.
a - 4 u