Conservative * 3
ff
Vl t
companies the empty privilege of sug
gestion and give to the commission the
power to accept , reject or modify the
rate proposed by the railroads. THE
CONSERVATIVE asks Mr. Bacon what is
lacking to "give the commission unre
stricted power of making rates ? "
Relative to the right of appeal THE
CONSERVATIVE based its statement upon
the argument advanced by F. B. Thur-
ber , chairman of the committee on rail
road transportation of the New York
board of trade and transportation.
The "plain
pee
.
THE ICE TRUST.
ple" will be pain
fully grieved to note the connection of
prominent "friends of the masses" with
the ice trust of New York City. The fol
lowing are the names of well known
Tammanyites who have shares in the
'ice trust which has arbitrarily trebled
the price of keeping cool in the New
York metropolis :
The "bunco
'BUNCO STEERING. "
steerers" and
"green goods" men of the world find
the United States government , to use
the language of the craft , "easy. "
Knowing our propensity for bric-a-brac
in the way of islands , some enterprising
real estate men offered us a job lot of
Danish islands for $4 , .000 , although
the government of Denmark was quite
willing to get rid of them for $1,000,000.
We would have bit at the $4,00f,000
proposition , had not his majesty , the
king of Denmark , took pity upon our
credulity and gave away the profits to
be realized from the sale by the thrifty
'
island agents. Uncle Sam is really
becoming a more confiding individual
and more easily victimized than the
untutored agrarian so frequently de
picted in the funny papers.
' HENRY CLAY. _
Kentucky , May 10 ,
1829 , Henry Clay uttered the following
able truism :
"Government is a trust and the officers
of the government are trustees ; and
both the trust and the trustees are
created for the benefit of the people. "
How times have changed since this
famous utterance of a great statesman.
Imagine , either in national or state
affairs , the officers of government now
acting as trustees for the benefit of the
people. How striking IB the contrast
between Clay and Bryan 1 What a dif
ference in men is indicated by the
truism of Clay , "the trust and trustees
are createdfor the benefit of the people , "
and the selfish philbsophy of Bryan ,
who , ten years ago , thus stated his pur
pose in desiring public office : "I can
assure yon that it is the money that is
in the office and not the honor that
attract me ! " And this is the man whom
Senator Allen said was the peer of Clay.
THE PHILIPPINE
TRADE. * tlons > imposed by
the war depart
ment , for the admittance of our pro
ducts to the Philippines , negatives any
commercial advantages accruing to this
country by reason of the extension of
our sovereignty to the islands. The
duties are practically prohibitive and
make impossible the enlargement of our
trade. The following is a list of the
tariff changes on a few articles :
Tomatoes , canned , 2 dozen tins Mox.
Value in United States $8.55
Weight , 2-1 kilos ; valuation , $24.
Specific duty , 20c per kilo 4.80
Harbor charges , 10 pur cent on specific
duty 48
Commercial improvement , 8 per cent on
valuation of $24 1.92
Landing charges and conduction through
Custom-house , etc 25
Total $11.00
Total exactions , $7.45.
Percentage , 215.
Lard , in buckets , 12-5c Mox.
Value in United States $12.00
Weight , 27.25 kilos ; valuation , $22 per 100
kilos , $5.94.
Specific duty , 15c per kilo 4.05
10 per cent of specific duty 40
8 per cent on valuation of $5.94 48
Landing charges , etc 25
Total $17.18
Total exactions , $5.18.
Perctntage , 48.
Milk , condensed , 4 do ? . 1-lb. tins Mex.
Value in United States $8.75
Weight , 22 kilos ; valuation , $1 per kilo , $22.
Specific duty , 20c per kilo 4.40
10 per cent of specific duty 44
8 per cent of valuation of $22 1.70
Landing charges 25
Total $15.00
Total exactions , $0.85.
Percentage , 78.
Fruit , canned , 2 do/ . 2-lb. tins Mox.
Value in United States $0.00
Weight , 24 kilos ; valuation , $24.
Specific duty , 20c per kilo 4.80
10 per cent on specific duty 48
8 per cent on valuation of $24 1.92
Landing charges 25
Total $13.45
Total exactions , $7.45.
Percentage , 125.
Cheese , weight 83 Ibs. Mox.
Value in United States , at 15c gold $10.00
Weight , 15 kilos ; valuation 40c kilo.
Specific duty , 15c kilo 2.25
10 per cent on specific duty 22
8 per cent on valuation of $0 48
Landing charges , etc 25
Total $18.20
Total exactions , $8.20.
Percentage , 82.
Butter , not weight CO Ibs. gross ; 33 in
tins. Mox.
Value in United States at 80c gold $20.00
Weight , 15 kilos ; valuation , $72 per 100
kilos.
Specific duty , 20c a kilo 8.00
10 per cent on specific duty 80
8 per cent on valuation of $10.80 94
Landing charges , etc 25
Total $24.40
Total exaction , $4.49.
Percentage , 22) ) .
Watches , silver and other metals
Mox. Mox ,
Wholesale value in the United
States , say $1 to $4 each $ 2.00 $ 8.00
Value as per schedule , $0.
Specific duty 2.00 2.00
10 per cent on specific duty 20 .20
8 per cent on valuation 48 .48
Total $408 $10.08
Total exactions on $1 watch , $2.08.
Total exactions on $4 watch , $2.118.
Percentage on $1 watch , 225.
Percentage on $4 watch , 83 .
Clocks , cheap Mox.
Wholesale valno in United States , 80c
each $1.00
Specific duty 1.00
10 per cent on specific duty 10
8 per cent on valuation of $1.20 each 10
Total $2.80
Total exactions , $1.20.
Total percentage , 75.
Flour Mex.
Value per barrel in United States , $2.75
gold $5.50
Weight , 190 Ibs. ( about 90 kilos ) ; valuation
as per schedule (100 ( kilos , $5.00) ) , $5.04.
Specific duty , $2.10 , per 100 kilos , 90 kilos. . 1.89
10 per cent on specific duty 19
8 per cent on valuation of $5.04 40
Landing charges , etc 25
Consumption tax (50c ( per 100 kilos ) 45
Total $8.08
Total exactions , $8.88.
Percentage , 02.
These extortionate charges indicate
both the mercenary character of our in
terest in the Filipino and explode the
sophistry of the oft-repeated argument
of the wonderful advantages afforded
the American farmer because of the
Philippine market.
Reference has
CARRYING COSTS.
been made in these
columns from , time to time to the in
crease in the cost of operation resulting
from the higher prices of material and
the advances in wages. Perhaps the
first public admission of the gravity of
the situation came from President
Thomas of the Erie last sumner. Since
that time the subject has been dealt
with , though rather gingerly , in several
reports. A good illustration of plain
speaking appears in the remarks of
President Ives of the Burlington Cedar
Rapids & Northern on the prospects for
the present calendar year. "The oper
ating expenses will be increased , " he
says , "in consequence of advanced prices
in material and labor , estimated at
$250,000 for the entire road , and will
reduce the net earnings for the year. "
Of still later significance has been the
settlement of the strike in the Now
York Central's shops at Buffalo on the
basis of the demands of the employees
substantially in full so far as wages go.
This means a considerable increase in
total operating expenses. Railway Age ,