Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1896 — Protection For American Hay. [ARTICLE]

Protection For American Hay.

Farmers are appealing to Congress for increased protection for their hay. Thousands of petitions have been in circulation in the in the country in the past few weeks, signed by hundreds of thousands of farmers, asking Congress to increase the duty op hay, because of the enormous increase jp the importations of hay, mostly frojp Canada, since\the repeal of tba MbKinley law. The rate of duty, on hay under the McKinley tariff was four dollars per ton. In the year following the enactment of that law the importations of hay dropped from 125,000 tonß to 29,000 tons, yhe Wilson law reduced the duty to 92 per to,n and theresnlthas teen an enormous iflf jeflge in the importations of hay. , The amount of hay brought is-

to the country since the enactment of the Wilsofi law'has beeft more than double what it ''was in the corresponding length of time under the McKinley law. ' The'official figures for the first 17 months -of tho Wilson law show a total importation of 373,860 tons of against 140,083 tons in the last 17 months of the McKinley law. Tlijs is an increase of 233,773 tons. It will thus lie seen that the importations under the new law, by reason of reduction in the tariff rates, have increased more than ISO per cent./ and neatly two million dollars, which would otherwise have gone to, the farmers of the United States, have loft the country for the benefit of foreign farmers. And of this loss the farmers of Jasper County, where hay is one of the leading, if not the leading ciop, have lmd (o bear their full share.