GERMANY. 



437 



tended that taxation of tobacco was preferable 

 Government monopoly in it, and there 

 many reasons why it should be taxed 

 by weight, llerr Meyer of Bremen described 

 tin- unsatisfactory result of the French monop- 

 oly system, which he implored the House not 

 to think of. The tax on manufactured goods 

 was most preferable, as having to be paid 

 win-never a sale was made, and as being a real 

 consumption-tax. He hoped the license-tax, 

 moreover, would be rejected as being inquisi- 

 torial and vexatious, llerr Fritzsche (Social 

 Democrat) energetically opposed the measure, 

 from the acceptance of which he ventured to 

 prophesy would accrue the most baneful re- 

 sults to the tobacco trade in Germany. 



The debate on the tariff bills was finished on 

 May 12th. In accordance with the motion of 

 Deputy Lowo (Progressist), the Reichstag re- 

 solved to refer part of the new tariff and the 

 tobacco-tax bill to a special committee, but to 

 let the second reading of the other part of the 

 tariff take place in the Reichstag itself. On 

 the IGth the Reichstag rejected, by 192 against 

 125 votes, a motion to reduce by a half the 

 proposed tax of one mark on pig and scrap 

 iron. A motion of Count Stolberir -Werni- 

 gerode, to admit duty-free between Memel and 

 the Vistula all pig and scrap iron, on written 

 certification of its destination for foundries, 

 etc., was also rejected, though most of the 

 members from Posen and the Prussian prov- 

 inces supported this. On the 17th, on motion 

 of Dr. Delbruck, the duty on Swedish bar-iron 

 destined for the manufacture of certain kinds 

 of wire was reduced to 50 pfennigs (about 12 

 cents). On the l!)th the House passed to the 

 first reading the so-called Sperrgesets or fron- 

 tier-closing measure, for immediately and pro- 

 visionally putting in force the stipulations of 

 the new tariff bill under consideration, with a 

 view of frustrating the tactics of those who 

 were importing largo quantities of goods to 

 escape the heavy protective duties threatened 

 thereafter. The House unanimously approved 

 the proposed immunity from customs of bronze 

 and ores, and after some discussion also sup- 

 ported the Government in its intention to 

 make flax and raw material for spinning, with 

 the exception of cotton, free. On the 20th 

 the House began 'the discussion of the tariff 

 under the head of grain and agricultural prod- 

 uce, the new duties proposed thereon being 

 one mark per 100 kilos on wheat, oats, and 

 husked fruit ; 50 pfennigs (half a mark) on rye, 

 barley, maize, and buckwheat ; 20 pfennigs on 

 malt ; 3 marks on anise-seed and caraway-seed ; 

 other prpducts being free. On the 21st Prince 

 Bismarck made a long speech on the snbject, 

 in which ho tried to show that the imposition 

 of the duties proposed, by bettering the for- 

 tunes of the agricultural class, would in reality 

 give an impetus to industrial activity. Eng- 

 land, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands 

 were cited in proof. The Prince disclaimed 

 all intention of seeking to increase the Impe- 



rial Exchequer by a corn-tax ; all he deaired 

 was merely to do justice to the long-Buffering 

 countryman by removing to the frontier, in 

 the form of a consumption duty, part of a 

 direct tax pressing on him. On the 23d the 

 proposals of the Tariff Commission in regard 

 to the duties on grain were carried by 226 

 against 109. On the 27th the House carried 

 the motion of Deputies Windthorst and I lain - 

 macher, Ultramontane and National Liberal 

 respectively, to extend the Sperrgeaetz, or pro- 

 visional customs bill, to iron, groceries, and 

 petroleum, in addition to wine and tobacco, us 

 recommended by the Tariff Commission. This 

 protective and preventive ordinance would 

 lapse as soon as the various tariff bills now 

 under consideration should become law, or at 

 the latest fifteen days after the close of the 

 present session of Parliament. On the 28th 

 the House passed the Sperrgesetz. A majority 

 of 172 against 88 also approved the proposed 

 tax of 10 pfennigs per 100 kilos on building 

 timber, raw or rough-hewn, as also of 25 pfen- 

 nigs on sawn wood or planed boards, and other 

 manufactures of wood. On June 16th the pro- 

 posed duty of 50 pfennigs per kilo on beams 

 and blocks of hard wood was approved by 

 140 votes against 86. Those on carpenters' 

 goods, wood for parquets and furniture, and 

 wood combined with metal and glass, 3, 4, and 

 10 marks respectively, were also approved. 

 The duty of 10 pfennigs on building timber, 

 raw or rough-hewn, was carried by 140 votes 

 to 86. On the 17th the House approved the 

 proposed duties of 20 marks per kilo on all 

 fine-wood and carved goods, 30 marks on un- 

 covered upholstered furniture, and 40 marks 

 on covered. The tax of 20 marks on every 

 hundred kilos of hops was also finally accepted. 

 On the 24th the proposed duties on oil and 

 grease were approved by large majorities, al- 

 though the free-traders made a strenuous en- 

 deavor to reduce the duty of 10 marks per 100 

 kilos on lard, as being the butter of poor men. 

 The House also granted the proposed duties on 

 candles and furs, and the clauses on soap and 

 perfumery, playing-cards, stones, and stone- 

 wares. 



The second reading of the tariff bill was 

 completed on July 5th, when the House by a 

 considerable majority voted the so-called finan- 

 cial duties proposed by the Government on 

 tobacco, coffee, petroleum, etc. The Liberals 

 and Socialists made a desperate stand against 

 the duties on coffee and petroleum, Herr Bebel 

 declaring that they would breed very bad 

 blood among the people and furnish fresh 

 stimulus for social-democratic agitation. On 

 the 8th the Reichstag passed by a majority of 

 163 against 148 that section of the law which 

 provides that goods coming from countries 

 which treat German vessels or wares of Ger- 

 man origin more unfavorably than those of 

 other states may be taxed with an addition of 

 50 per cent, over the rate of the imposed tariff. 

 On the 9th, after a long and lively debate, in 



