Foreign weights and measures, with American equivalents—Continued.

Egyptian weights and measures..... (See CONSULAR REPORTS NO. 144.)

Foreign weights and measures, with American equivalents-Continued.

Pood.....

Pund (pound).

Quarter

Foreign weights and measures, with American equivalents—Continued.

Milligram (rooo gram) equals 0.0154 grain.
Centigram (6 gram) equals 0.1543 grain.
Decigram ( gram) equals 1.5432 grains.
Gram equals 15.432 grains.

Decagram (10 grams) equals 0.3527 ounce.
Hectogram (100 grams) equals 3.5274 ounces.
Kilogram (1,000 grams) equals 2.2046 pounds.

Myriagram (10,000 grams) equals 22.046 pounds.

Quintal (100,000 grams) equals 220.46 pounds.

Millier or tonnea-ton (1,000,000 grams) equals 2,204.6 pounds.

Millimeter (robo meter) equals 0.0394 inch.
Centimeter ( meter) equals 0.3937 inch.
Decimeter ( meter) equals 3.937 inches.
Meter equals 39.37 inches.

Decameter (10 meters) equals 393.7 inches.

Hectometer (100 meters) equals 328 feet 1 inch.

Kilometer (1,000 meters) equals 0.62137 mile (3,280 feet 10 inches).

Myriameter (10,000 meters) equals 6.2137 miles.

Metric surface measures.

Centare (I square meter) equals 1,550 square inches.
Are (100 square meters) equals 119.6 square yards.
Hectare (10,000 square meters) equals 2.471 acres.

CONSULAR REPORTS.

Vol. LXI.

COMMERCE, MANUFACTURES, ETC.

SEPTEMBER, 1899.

No. 228.

TARIFF OF JAMAICA: EFFECT UPON TRADE.

I give below a careful statistical analysis of the new tariff of Jamaica. The criticisms in my report of last year, printed in Commercial Relations, 1896-97, volume 1, page 631, et seq., apply to this tariff as well, but with added force. That report was based on the tariff passed to carry out the reciprocity arrangement of 1892. In it, I showed the weight of burdens on American trade. I shall now show the enormous increase in those burdens under the new tariff—an increase prohibitive in some cases and almost so in others.

In Schedule A, I give a complete and detailed statement of the imports of Jamaica during the fiscal year ended March 31, 1898, prepared from the Government classification in the official blue book. It shows, in parallel columns, the imports from Great Britain, from the United States, and from all other countries combined. Opposite the imports of each article I place in separate columns the percentage of duty levied under the tariff from 1892 to 1898, or the so-called reciprocity tariff, and the percentage of duty levied by the present bill. The 121⁄2 and 163 percentages are the ad valorem rates of the two laws, respectively. The other percentages are those of the specific duties calculated upon the invoice values of the various goods. These percentages (of specific duties) in my report last year were based on the values of the goods landed here, including freight, insurance, etc. This was an advantage I gave in order to be fair in the extreme in my comparisons. It was, however, unnecessary. The ad valorem rates of the tariff, principally on English goods, are based on the values of the goods at the place of shipment; and in the comparisons of this report I have based the percentages of duty on American goods on the value at place of shipment, instead of on the value landed here. This will account for any apparent discrepNo. 228-I.

Ι

ancies in my figures of last year and this. It will be at once seen that this is the fair comparison; for if the landed values were taken on the goods from Great Britain, the ad valorem percentages would be decreased by the addition of freight and insurance to first cost. The imports of Jamaica are shown by Schedule A to be divided into the following classes and subclasses:

Class I. Live animals, food, drinks, and narcotics.

Class II. Raw materials:

(a) Textiles.

(b) Other.

Class III. Manufactured articles:

(a) Textiles.

(b) Metal.

(c) Other.

In Class I (live animals, food, drinks, and narcotics) the imports are preponderatingly from the United States, and the duties are principally specific, or rated, as called here. The entire schedule is dutiable, except live turtle from the West India Islands, birds and poultry, and seeds and grain for propagation, the imports of which are trifling. The imports from the United States, it will be seen, are nearly four times in value those from the United Kingdom and nearly two times those from Great Britain and all other countries combined. The bulk of the imports from "other countries" consists of animals and fish from Canada. A very careful calculation made from this schedule (excluding liquors and tobacco) gives the following average of duties paid on dutiable goods from the United States and Great Britain under this schedule:

In the class of food stuffs, therefore, the American goods pay almost double the duties paid by English goods. The importations of live animals, smoked fish and meats, and refined sugar are almost prohibited by the high rates; while those of butter and substitutes, cheese, dried and salted fish, lard and substitutes, salted or cured beef, hams, salted or cured pork, and cotton-seed oil are undoubtedly limited for the same reason.

I omit in the above calculation liquors and tobacco, as these are properly at all times and in all countries the subject of heavy taxation for revenue purposes, and should not be used for purposes of comparisons. But in this case, there are other reasons-first, they are not entirely the product of Great Britain, and, though coming