New-York tribune., 1908-12-01
WOULD CALL CRITICS
MORE T4RIFF HEARINGS.
Com mitfee Seeks Posrer to Compel
attendance of Witnesses.
IFrom The Tribune Bureau

A+-r+or Nov 5o-Deternained 70 bring
chose u-ho have criticised the hearings
:. -ezisior Of the tariff. and satisfied that there
,c, important information TO be obtained
fore the framing OF ar impartial tarih Dill
= bA undertaken. the Ways and Means Com
-.s,.ee viii ask Congress for authority to sub
-. witnesses TO appear at supplementary
hes1nEs
Isle .he COMMITTEES has been holding ses-
,... ;n,o the night and although witnesses
-, in most cases been unrestricted as 10 uine
- -. n-esentztion Of arguments. much time
= bss7 wasted and too frequently only one
Sc ~ the question hiss been presented TO the
--.~,i,+ee Witnesses also have been In many
,.ses entirely unprepared 10 furnlsh anequa'e
.<o-,r,atjon as 10 the comparative cost OF laoor
,r this country and abroad
u Van CIeava president Of the National
,,css-ion OF Manufacturers. and c H Miles,
-Ii-r,an Of the tariff commission of the same
.-..;on have frequently attacked the meth
= 7sed by the committee Chairman FaNhe
strongly resented these attacks, and the re-
-. - congress for the right to subpoena wit
&c Is understood TO be directed mainly at
. Van Cleave and Mr. Miles. who have not
as-e6 before the committee, despite special
s--,.,+ions fron the chairman
=, 5esire Of the committee to get at the facts
-, -erard to tariff revision has been relter-
IS nv Chairman Payne. by Champ Clark LOT
:, democratic members of the committee. ana
= .s,-srsl Republican mernb bers who are unoef-
- n represent the views OF Presldent-eleCI
-. The desire for authority to subpoena VII
.,5 ~ hold as many hearings as may be
,,r,6 necessary is therefore pracucalS unahi
= has become evident at the hearings
=. che various elements in the House are
.i.s5 on the proposition 10 pass bill that VIII
: thorough and impartial revision of
.-ir law 1t will also include a careful
,.x.,,e-r o. the wording and provisions IN
- - eliminate any possibility Of mlsinter-
r-ststion by the courts
The committee sat until almost H1ionlsht To-
s-h, hearing the most tedious and unintereSt-
=. -es-;-,o7v thus far presented Burap. Jute'
;f.lo,h lfnoleura. hemp. fax and various KIN
5-e5 commodities were under discussion the
,s-+ ~ the day. ard il was not until the
-. i-nrorre-s from New York expressed 'hei
-. .Lo+ the committee interrupted the con-
..si-z IF briefs W wickham Smith.
- New York. represented the lace importers
= .s-ooate5 2 decrease from so TO 90 per cent
= ,sfo-s-7 He took the ground that lace IS
.,f5lv becoming necessity instead OF 8 lux
,--r He argued that q decrease OF the outy
-ro,ifs increase the revenues and tend TO make
r,-ires cheaper 10 the consumer In response 10
questions from Representatives Dalzeh anu
s-o-b-an M Smith said that the lace importers
nov control 50 per cent Of the American mar
ke-. leaving the remaining 20 TO domestic man
Yfactrrers. This fact did not serve TO convince
the committee that more importauons should be
rou-ted. and from the nature of their labor in
7uiries II is safe 10 assume that he duty on
lace will not be materially reduced. The manu-
factu-ers or growers Of the other products re-
rr-es-a5 2 maintenance of the present duty or a
slight increase. while the importers suggested 4
reduction.