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
and Saturday began at once to take
advantage of its provisions.
In the basement of the Federal
Building is a warehouse 30 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
if. Early Saturday morning with
drawals began, and, ii is expected,
will continue at 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 9 o'clock
by the President. Reductions ana 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 considerable saving.
It 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 room Saturday morn
ing on until the printed schedules ar
BILE goods will be held that they may
be entered under the new rates. This,
it is thought, will mean not more than
a weeks delay.
Imports through Atlanta for the
fiscal year ended June 80 were val
ued at S324.219, 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
| States, is not jubilant over the new
tariff, which puts burlap on the free
| list.
Fought Free BurIap.
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.
TT 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 a whole. The new 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
Carolnas will be hurt I believe"
Reductions of import duties on
dozens of necessities and luxuries
eventually will result Ia 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
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.