Year: 1861

THE NEW TARIFF ACT.


N~-~>S~><~s-~~>->>~>~~,~->--


The New Duties on Tea, Coffee, Sugar
and Molasses-Despatch from Secretary
Chase-Thc Act to Go Into Effect Imme-
diatcly-Goods I'm Bond to Pay the New
Rates-Encct the Merchants-Vhat
tho Importers say-The Quantity Of
Sugar, Tea, Coffee and Molasses I'm
Bond-The Additional Revenue, sc.


The New York importers OF tea coffee and sugar have
been In state Of anxiety for several days Of
the passage, by Congress- OF tho Supplemental Tariff bill
Previous TO s passage the prices OF most OF the articles
affected by had risen to the point which they would
naturally reach should the measures recommended by
Secretary Chase IN his report be adopted. will be re-
membered that the Secretary advised Congress to raise
the duties coffee, tea and sugar. On coffee TO hve
cents per pound tea to twenty cents per pound and
the ordinary kinds Of sugar--sucb usually i'm
portsdto two and half per pound Acting in
accordance with the wishes Of the Secretary Congress-
has just enacted the following law, which have al
ready given to readers. Its Importance is suicent
reason for its rspubicaton:--


Be Il enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives Of the United States Of America, in Congress
tembed-


That from and after the date Of the passage Of this act
In lieu OF the duties heretofore imposed by law art
ces hereinafter mentioned there shall be levied collect
cd ond paid tho goods and merchandise herein
enumerated and provided for, imported from foreign
countries the following duties and rates Of duty that is
to say


Fisst-On all teas, twenty cents per pound


Sccond-Cofree Of all kinds, Ave cepts per pound.


Hird-On all raw sugar, commonly called muscovado
or brown sugar, and all sugars not advanced above
or other process, and on syrup OF sugar, or OF
sugar cane and concentrated moasses concentrated
melado, two cents and half per pound white
and cayed sugars when advanced beyond the raw
state, above No - Dutch standard by clarifying
other process and NOS yet refined, three cents per
pound refined sugars whether loaf lump, puvcr-
izsd ve cents por pound on sugars after being refined
when they tincturcd, coored In any other way
aduleraed and on sugar candy, eight cents pound
molasses, six cents per galonprovded that all sy
rups Of sugar sugar cane concentrated moasses
concentrated meado under the of molasse
concentrated molasses or concentrated msado shall be
liable to forfeiture to the United States, and the
shall be forfeited.


Mr. Chase desred at the time Of the meeting Of the
ira session Of Congress, last summer that Tariff law
should enacted eugmenting the duties many foreign
articles, to take effect immediately the goods already
imported and in bond He thought in this way the
sonedby the proposition and the conclusion generally
arrived at was, that such procedure, at that time
would be productive oPvil rather than Of good. Il
would that the Members OF Congress Of this
opinion for the which they passed contained the fol
lowing clause


be It further enacted, That all goods wares and
merchandise actually shipboard and bound the Uni
ted States and all goods wares and merchandise depo
sit in warehouses public stores ut the date the pas
sage this act, shall be subject to pay such duties as
provided by law before and at the time of the passage of
this act.


Under the provisions Of this law the goods bond at
the time of its passage could be withdrawn under the
rates levied by the previous act. Many fears
tanned by importers lest Congress should do as Mr.
Chase recommended and should levy the additional duty
the goods daily arriving, aud those which had al
ready arrived and were in government warehouses The
panic great that the importers Of the principal ar
clcs used here which supposed would be required
to pay higher duty, withdrew the entire stock In bond
and paid the duties There additional
for doing at that time, nasmuch the six per
Treasury notes. which receivable for duties
then selling at discount Of from two to four per cent
The panic which then prevailed has been reproduced on
s6mewhat smaller scale this week by the passage OF tho
bill given above. Even before the bill made public
through the newspapers discovered that II might
be construed take effect goods bond and in
fact that probably the intention OF its framer 70
have the duties levied Every knew that Secretary
Chase in favor Of act which would do this and
the power Of interpreting the bill would rest with
him. that he would the additional duty to be paid
on such goods. Accordingly. on the day before Christ
mas most Of the importers Of sugar. tea and coffee with
drew their goods from bond the receipts for duty a the
Custom House, that day. being about $500 ooo larger
sum has been received for any single day for long
time Some ow importers neglected their opportunity and
had paid their duties before yesterday morning. when
the following despatch received from the Secretary
of the Treasury nstructng the officers Of the customs
levy the additional duties all goods arriving after tho
receipt Of the despatch, and also all goods n
house.





TRxAsuRS DsrAsnsEsf, WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 1861.
CoLLRtToE OF CusroNs New York


You hereby instructed TO enforce the provisions Of
tho act TO increase the duties tea Coffee sugar and
moasses, approved December a. 1891 This act goes in
to effect the 25h instant and applies to all goods Of
the above description in warehouse as well as current


copy Of the act will be sent you by mail. In tho
meantime you win be governed by the act published
in the newspapers. s. P. CHASE,


Secretary OF the Treasury.


The importers did not hear the orders from Wash
ington until they presented their entries for pay
ment, when they Informed that ii wa
thsn too late. and that the duty which
would have been received on Thursday could not bs
taken. Great their chagrin the apparently slight
additional duty Of cne-hslf cent per pound sugar
and cent per pound coffee, causing many of them
lose from IS 600 10 eo0 which they might have
saved and which would have been clear profit had IL
been so saved Tho articles which the duty has been
raised and which thus caught will more to the
than they would the importers had been able TO
Of their goods under the old duty
for the passage Of higher tariff would Immediately raise
the selling price Of articles affected, whether the actual
cost to tho importer increased not. Thus the
people will justify this important action Of Congress- al
though tho importers who have been too sleepy avail
themselves of tho opportunity make increased pro.
ht viii raise cry Of unfairness and double dealing say
ing that Congress- acted unjtly In not giving notice q
the intended passags Of such act and In not allowing
them sufficient time, after its passage, withdraw their
goods.


There ID phase Of the which 10 rather hard
in point occurred yesterday An importer had pur
chased cargo of sugar at the place Of s production and
had sold IL to merchant before IL had arrived here In
such transactions customary for the importer to de-
liver the merchandise thus sold TO the purchaser with the
duties paid and free from all claims Of the government
Tho made before the passage Of tho act and the
price set based tho suppositiou that but two
cents per pouaa 70 be paid for duty But the su-