UNITED STATES TARIFF.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2569, 2 August 1909, Page 5

UNITED STATES TARIFF.

ITS PROGRESS THROUGH CONGRESS.

FREE ADMISSION OF HIDES

United Press Association —Copyright NEW YORK, July 30.

Owing to the insistence of President Taft’s committee, the two Houses agreed to the free admission of hides., and fixed the rate for rough lumber at 11-4 dollars.

Some weeks ago the American correspondent of "The Times” predicted that the new tariff, after all the amending, would emerge "the'same old picture” with which the commercial world has been familiar for nearly half a century. The average rate of duties will bo practicalLy the same as those of the Morrill War Tariff of the 70’s, of the Tariff Commissions Act of the 80’s, of the McKinley Law of 1890, the Wilson ‘Revenue Reform Measure’ of 1894, and the Dingley Act of 1897. Duties, it is .true, have been reduced during this period; but only actually and not relatively. Prices of many commodities have declined; but the friends of protection have always taken care that, relatively speaking', the rates of duty should remain substantially the same. This has been accomplished by changing wherever possible the ad valorem for specific duties. For example, a specific duty of 7 dols. on steel rails selling at 28 dols. per ton affords no more protection than a duty of 5 dols. when the price of rails is 20 dols. When wire nails were selling at Bc. per pound the duty was put at 2c., but when the price of nails fell to 2c., half a cent per pound duty afforded precisely the samo protection. During the periods between revisions tho manufacturers _ not infrequently have enjoyed very high protection—at times 100 per cent ad valorem. These are the ‘reductions’ of duty with which American protectionist politicians dress their windows, but they are very unsatisfactory to' the ultimate consumer, who has'regularly been separated bv' an average ad valorem barrier of from 45 to 50 per cent, from tho outside. market.”