Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-17
PROTEST IN VAIN
| TAX ON BANANAS
Republicans Unable to Pre-
vent One enth of One Cent
Per Pound Duty.
Mr.. BURTON is CHAMPION
OF "PO0R MANS FOOD"
Straight Rate Of Half Cent Per
Pound on Lemons, Lines, Oranges
and Grapefruit Agreed To.

tenth Of | per cent per pound on bananas
during its consideration Of the tariff bill
yesterday afternoon. Bananas have
never before been subject to a tariff
duty. and vigorous protests were made
by republican senators to the tax on
the poor mans food Their protests
were in vain, however. The Senate prac-
tically completed consideration of the
agricultural schedule before it adjourned.
i Senator Burton of Ohio declared
bananas were in the same class as tea
and coffee, since they are not produced
in this country, are foodstuffs. and have
never before been taxed. He told the
Senate that in 1912 A. 10000 punches Of
bananas had been imported into this
country. He denied that bananas were a
luxury, and referred to a protest which
had been sent to him from the east side
in New York.
II Jamaica, Honduras. Costa Rica and
Nicaragua We're largely dependent upon
bananas for their trade, and such a radi-
cal change as is proposed. the senator
said. would greatly affect those coun-
| tries. He also declared that bananas
were an important article of food of
| the poor. and to tax them was absolutely
contrary to the principle of the demo-
| cratic platform.
| Says w OTh1uRIuen 4uSL ray.
Senator Williams. discussing the pro-
posed banana tariff, said that the poor,
down-trodden workingman is goin TO
| be impoverished at the rate of One-tenth
| of ! cent pound on bananas. or about
| One-fOrtieth or one-fiftieth of | cent per
banana" The Mississippi senator assert
| ed that he suspected that the banana tax
was one which the consumer would not
| pay.
| In my private opinion" he said, the
| United Fruit Company will pay most
| of this tax"
| Senator Weeks of Massachusetts also
protested against the proposed banana
| duty. He said that the consumer eventu-
| ally would pay the duty of approximate
| iy $2,225,Oo0 year. The United Fruit
Company, he said. brought in last year
25,OOO,OOO punches of bananas, while indie
pendent companies brought in 100000
punches The percentage of increase in
the business of the United Fruit Com
pany since it began importing bananas
was 125 per cent, while the business of
Independent companies had increased 24D
per cent. The United Fruit Company
never had protested against the proposed
banana tax, and in his opinion it would
likely freeze out the independent COM
panies.
Straight Rate on Other Fruits.
To put a duty on bananas to get after
the United Fruit Company because it was
trust. Senator Weeks said would have
a reverse effect from that designed by
the democrats.
On motion of Senator Williams the
Senate struck out that part of the para
graph relating to lemons, lines, oranges
grapefruit shaddocks and pomelos.
which imposed varying rates of duty on
packages of various sizes and adopted
instead straight rate Of one-half cent
per pound on these fruits. This results
in practice, In slight Increase In the
rate.
BY vote of 81 to SO the Senate de-
feated an amendment offered by Senator
Lodge, placing duties on fish, which are
on the free list of the InderWOod-Sim-
mons bill. Senator Lodge declared that
the rates proposed in the democratic bill
will give Nova Scotia and Newfound-
land fishermen control Of the fresh fish
market of New England in which 22,OOo
fishermen are interested, and that the
only excuse for the reduction Is that
it will make a pleasant cry on the
stump. That is the only coherent prin-
ciple in this BILL. Senator Lodge said
that while the democrats could say on
the stump that they were making COM
modties free Of duty. they would not
be able to say that they had succeeded
in lowering prices.
Pineapple Clause Recommitted.
Senator Jones of Washington moved
to increase the duty on apples, peaches,
ounces, cherries. plums and pears from
10 cents to 10 cents bushel, which is
the Canadian rate. He said the fruit
growers Of the west did not object to
reduction in the tariff. but did not want
the rate to be lower than the Canadian.
1t was not agreed to.
of Or
clause relating to pineapples, preserved
in their own juice, 20 per cent, was re-
committed for revision in the phraseology
said to be misleading.