The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-07-15
TARIFF CONFERENCE At SEA
FLOATING ON WHITE PINE WITH
LEAD ORE WEIGHING THEM
DOWN.
TWO DOLLAR RITE FIXED ON PINE
Hut aa Active Effort I'm the Senate
VIII He Made to Force Recon-
r. sideratiOn-Wind Jnmming
In the Senate-HOuse.

Washington, July 13-The representa-
tives Of the two houses Of congress, il
conference on the tariff bill, spent II busy
day. devoted, for the most part, to work
in the conference room. There were oc
casionsl consultations with other sena
tors or members Of the house upon points
at issue, but these were brief, so that
comparatively little information as to tho
progress made found its way to outsiders
1t is known that almost the entire day
was devoted to the sugar and wool sched-
ues, and the best information obtaina-
BILE il that final agreement was not
reached On either.
At one time during the afternoon the
senate and house cOnferces separated,
the heuse men repairing to the ways and
means committee room. It was gencr-
ally believed that this action on the part
of the house men was for the purpose
of deciding on n line of policy on sugar,
but they declined TO give Our any infOr-
nation.
Contrary to published reports, it is pos
itively asserted that the sugar schedules
have not been agreed upon, and, in fact,
that all the big questions before the con-
ference which have seemingly been set
aled are only tentatively agreed to, one
side or the other insisting that they shall
be held open.
Nothing will be finally closed, so far
as the matters of Importance are concern
ed. until all have been decided upon and
the eonferees are ready to come to
complete agreement.
1t ~ believed that the wool schedule
which has occupied the attention of the
conferees more or less today and yester-
day. car now be settled whenever other
matters have reached stage for final
adjustment. The senate cOnferees are
ready 70 compromise the differences on
hrst and SecOnd-class woods by making
them beth dutiable Mt IL cents and a
compensate on third.class woods has been
suggested by house members of the con-
Terence concerning which they express
the hspe that it will be satisfactory to
both the wool growers and the CARPET
manufacturers, but this is not assured.
ecnpromise proposition looking to
the hxing of rate of 3 cents a pound
on all wool of value less than 10 cents
per peund; of 5 cents on all wool valued
at more than 10 cents and less than IL
cents a pound, and of cents on that
ABOVE l3 cents pound in value, has
Deen submitted to the representatives i'm
the senate In both the wool growers and
the carpet manufacturers, and both sides
took the matter under adviscmcnt.
senator Penrose, representing the car
pet men, telegraphed for some of them
TO come to Washington for conference,
The attempt of some Of the house CON
ferees to secure increased rates on
skirted woods failed.
The question of ute, jutc bagging. bur.
laps, cotton bagging and cotton ties. |
which the senate placed on the free list
Is causing much trouble. The house con
ferees insist that these items shall 20
back ON the dutiablc list, and the senate
cronferees plead that if they are put back |
delay must be the result in the senate.
III the sonferees can reach Il complctc |
agreement by Friday, one of them said |
today, he would be more than satisfied
They find themselves now apparenilv !
less certain than nj any previous time MS
10 the date when they will reach final
agreement, though protesting to hone
that the time will soon come. They arc
gradually disposng of one problem oftcr
another. but still have several left upon
which there are such marked disagree
ments as TO justify no predictions as TO |
the result.
Two of the questions, which. it is stated |
upon good authority, that were decided |
recently were those affecting lead ore
and white pine lumber There has been
a determined fight on the part of the |
house conferees to get lead put back to
l cent pound, but senator Jones of Ne |
yada representing the lead mining in
dustry, has taken such q firm position |
against any change from the senate fig
ures that the house of representatives |
apparently have yielded finally. The |
question has been left in such shape, |
however, that it can be returned to and |
II may DO reported.
On white pine the house has won. and
unless the decision which has been reach |
cd IL revised the house schedule fixing |
the rate at 50 per 1000 feet will be re-
ported.
There il, however, a most active effort
in the senate to force reconsideration on
this point, and this effort is being made |
on the republican side of the chamber
even more persistently than on the der
cratic side. There is even ut this " |
date, talk among the republican .,ators |
of the necessity for another caucus TO |
determine the course to be pursued with |
reference to the conference report. There
are several senators on that side of the |
chamber who, it is feared, will vote
against sustaining report which in
"reases the pine duty, and who claim |
they can not be bound by the action of |
former caucuses which devoted their at
tention simply to schedules. There is n |
similar feeling in regard to the restoration |
of floor mating and burlaps to the du- |
table list, the western republican SEN |
ntors being gradually interested in keep
ing them free.
With reference to the articles placed on
the free list by the senate contrary to
recommendation of the finance committee,