Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-05
NATION BEGINS
TEST Of NEW
TARIFF LAW
Tremendous Withdrawal of Goods
Is Recorded at Federal Ware
house in Atlanta.

Atlanta importers made extensive
preparations for the new tariff bill,
and Saturday began at once to take
advantage of its provisions.
In the basement of the Federal
Building is a warehouse 80 feet wide
and extending along the whole For
syth street frontage. This customs
| warehouse is stacked to the ceilings
with imported goods, from fishhooks
to burlap, held to await the new tar
iff. Early Saturday morning with
drawals began, and, it is expected,
will continue at a lively rate until the
warehouse is almost empty.
The new tariff bill went into effect
with the signing of the engrossed
| document Friday night at o'clock
by the President. Reductions and in
creases alike are in force now. But
as V. o. Kimsey, the Deputy Sur
veyor of Customs in charge of the
Atlanta office, has not received print
ed copies of the new bill, the old
rates will be charged. In cases where
lower rates are in force, a refund will
be given.
Goods Held for Months.
Some of the warehouse goods have
been waiting for months for the new
rates but one importer was more
lucky. His carload of goods arrived
Friday. He took it out of bond Sat
urday morning, and by an overnight
wait effected a considerable saving.
1t is understood here that burlaps
under the new bill, go on the free list
This has an important effect in At
lanta, for by far the greatest single
item of imports here is burlap such
a. is used in grain and fertilizer
sacks. 1t is brought here from Brit
ish India
The Atlanta Customs Office as
sesses duties on all mail imports ad-
dressed to points in Georgia and Ala
bama. Collections from this source
recently have amounted to almost
| 5000 daily. Bul from Saturday morn
ing on until the printed schedules ar
| rive mail packages containing dutia-
| BILE goods will be held, that they NAV
be entered under the new rates. This,
II is thought, will mean not more than
weeks delay.
Imports through Atlanta for the
| fiscal year ended June 30 were val
ued at $324,219, on which customs
amounting to SS7.615 were paid.
Oscar Elsas, president of the Full
| ton Bag and Cotton Mills, among the
largest users Of burlap in the United
| &c 3,Vh hn
tariff, which puts burlap on the free
list.
Fought Free 6urlap.
I'VE fought free burlap," says Mr.,
Elsas, for the reason that we believe
removal of duty from burlap will
cause that material to be substituted
| to a great extent for cotton in making
grain sacks, cement sacks and other
| coarse products.
ut is our estimate that between
! 500, 900 and 100000 bales of cotton
will be displaced by free burlap.
This probably will not affect our
mill, but it will affect the textiles
trade as whole The lew tariff hits
at the mills spinning the finer num-
bers
THE mills in the vicinity Of Al
lanta should not be affected except
perhaps by greater competition from
mills now making fine goods which
may turn to coarse, but mills in the
Carolinas will be hurt, I believe"
Reductions of import duties on
dozens of necessities and luxuries
eventually will result iu a lower cost
of living, Atlanta merchants believe,
but they say various circumstances
conspire to prevent any immediate
drop in prices. Rather, nearly ell
commodities are advancing and show
a tendency to climb higher for some
| time to come.
| Dealers in eatables think the tariff
will have a tendency to lower prices,
or at least to keep them on even keel
| Dry goods men foresee cuts in the
cost of woolens, hosiery, gloves and
various other articles of wear.