President. on page 41 of the bill the committee last night offered an amendment. which was adopted. to the passageticket paragraph. so as to make it read as follows : Passage ticket. for each passenger. sold In the United States for kassage. by any vessel to a foreign port or place. if costing not exceeding $3.a$t. costing more than $30 and not exceeding $60. $3. I heartily approve of the wording of :the amendment of the paragraph. because it removes a discrimination against the American ticket agents as against the ticket agents in Canada. but I do believe that the limit of cost of the ticket should be changed if the spirit of the bill in other respects is to be maintained. in other words. a foreign thirdclass ticket generally costs more than $30. I think the limit ought to be $45 if the intention is to tax the steerage passenger but $1. The bill as it now stands will tax every steerage passenger under the second abracket $3. I do not believe that that was the intention. It seems to me that it ought to read: " If costing not exceeding $45. $1. costing more than $45 and not exceeding $75. $3. costing more than $75. $5." Or it might read. and be just as effective. as follows: Steerage. third class or third cabin. $1. second class or second cabin. $3. first.class or first cabin. $5." Then there would be no question as to the value of the ticket. whether it increased or decreased in price. but the passenger would pay according to the class of ticket purchased. There would be justice in that. I do not believe that a steerage passenger ought to pay a tax equal to a secondclass passenger. and in the manner in which the bill is drawn that will be the result. because the value under the first bracket is too low. I will ask the Senator having the bill in charge if the intention of the committee was not to make a difference between steerage passengers. secondcabin passengers. and firstcabin passengers?
Keywords matched
steerage Steerage