Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1913-11-07
NEW TARIFF LAW
HELPS HOME BUILDER

washington. Nov. 5.-The new
democratic tariff law viii afford some
saving to the home-builder-but II
will be slight This prediction is made
after claims and counter-claims OF
democrats and republicans have been
stripped down to bare figures. A
greater saving, II appears, will be af-
forded the man who will build a
house, bungalow or cottage of mod
crate size and little pretentions.
In the aggregate, many dollars will
be saved in the duties taken OF lum-
ber shingles, lathes and other build
ing material. But concretely, the
saving to the individual home-builder
will be small. but highly acceptable.
In some sections OF the country. re-
tail prices may so down on few ar
lticles such as planks and shingles.
Large contractors may be able to
save material costs on large quanti-
ties OF steel and lumber. But the
small home-builder, who does this
buying himself. naturally will save
but little. Here's the statement:
The new law places lumber. rough
and sawed, on the free list, The old
indirect" tariff on imported lumber
was about seven per cent. Unless
Canadian and other foreign imports
come in great quantities, II is not
generally believed that the per cent.
reduction will force down retail
prices in this country. Shingles and
lathes may be some cheaper to the
consumer in the northwest and on
the Pacific coast-the largest manu-
featuring district-but freight rates
and middlemen's costs, It is conser-
vatively estimated, will "eat up" much
of the tariff tax removed.
Last year s15,5OO,OOO worth of
sawed board and planks were i'm
ported, their cost being increased by
duties of s1,17S,00O. But our own
lumber mills produced s6S4, ,000, 900
worth and last year exported $751;
600, ,000-about three times the
amount imported Imports of both
logs and finished lumber are expected
to increase largely under the new
tariff law, but hardly enough ma
terially to affect the final retail prices
to the consumer.
Canadian and other foreign lathes.
imported without duty, may force re-
tail prices down, however, as 1890
600 worth (646,795, ,0O0) we're i'm
ported last year, paying a duty of
20 cents thousand. Lathe imports
are expected greatly to increase to
compete with the American product,
and possibly to force retail reduc-
tion Of as much as 10 cents a thous-
and. But this means at best only a
few dollars on the lathing OF an or
dlnary home. 4,
The same situation obtains regard
ing shingles. Last year shingles
worth $1,l94,000 we're imported,
paying duties of s254,OO0, to COM
pete with home production OF over
s90,O0O,OOO worth. Should imports
free of duty greatly increase retail
reductions to the purchaser will be
quite saving.
A duty Of about threequarters Of
one cent a pound has been taken off
wire nails, but the American naii is
so much superior, and past imports
so small, that the American producer
practically dominates the market.
This augurs against a retail price re-
duction.
Sand and stone are on the free
list, but foreign competition in these
building materials has been kept
down by high freight charges. A duty
Of 8 cents pound IS also taken off
cement in the new law, but imports
Of the commercial material are, and
will remain, negligible.
Duty on window glass has been re-
duced about 16 per cent, but Ameri-
,an products also dominate the glass
controlling retail prices free
from foreign invasion. Lime. tiling,
brick, and paints are other articles
upon which duties have been reduced
but in which foreign competition Is
imall.
PORTLAND STREET SPEAKERS