Evening journal., 1908-12-26
Saturday, December 26, 1908
TARIFF REVISION.

HE opinion is generally expressed that the
n new Congress will make pretty thorough
revision of the tariff The committee has been
hearing testimony regarding the schedules ana
many valuable suggestions have been received.
President-eeot Taft is heartily in favor OF revi-
sion that is revision and the testimony of Mr..
Carnegie and others clearly indicates that some
important changes in the schedules are needed.
The problem is of course difficult one to solve
and brings up the question of whether after all
the country should not have permanent Com
mission on the tariff qpestion.
For the next two months the interest of indus
trial America, and of the great manufacturing
nations will center in the secret meetings of the
Republican members of the Ways ana Means
Committee of the House, at which the new tariff
bill will be framed
The big problem in this bill, as in the past, in
wolves the rates Of duties sugar hides, lumber,
coal steel, wood, pottery, chemicals, laces and
silks. A new item over which there is already
much contention concerns automobiles, which
were unknown when the Dingley law was passed,
and which arc now taxed manufacturers of
metals
The sugar schedule is very much in the air, ex-
cept that the Philippine end of the problem has
been partially settled by an informal agreement,
between members OF the committee and Judge
ait, that 100000 tons of sugar a year. NAV come
in from the islands free. similar arrangement
will probably be made for a limited amount Of
pipe tobacco and cigars
The tariff on hides is an issue, and red hot
one, between the shoe manufacturers and tanners,
who want free hides, and the meat packers and
cattle raSers OF the West, who are strong for the
tariff. The latter amounts 10 about 81 a hide and
II would not be surprising il it went out of the
House bill.
So many people ascribe the great increase in
the price of lumber to the duty of s. a thousand
teet and the movement for the conservation Of
the forests is so strong, that reduction on that
product may be accounted reasonably certain
Lumbermen have told the committee that they
VIII be willing TO have high grades of foreign
lumber admitted free, If a tariff should be i'm
posed on low grades and the problem NAV be
solved on that basis. The great complaint of the
lumbermen has been against the shipments of low
grades from Canada to the United States
Noal as a lighting proposition is a relic of
nncient days. 1t is New England against the
West The Yankees want the benefit of free Nova
Scotia coal
The duty on steel will be reduced, but the
chances are against it being placed on the free
list The big corporations could stand it. but the
argument will be made that the smaller mills
need some protection.
Wool is in doubt. Strong efforts will be made
however to remove the duty on rags from which
'shoddy' which is wool reclaimed from cloth is
made. That would have the effect, it is claimed
OF increasing the wool supply.
The glass manufacturers asked for an increase
OF the tariff on small sizes of glass. which would
inevitably increase the price to the consumers
but It is doubtful whether the committee will al
low anything of that sort to go through
The main question as regards pottery laces and
silks, is to devise some plan of preventing under
valuation
rather husky and we'll dressed, as they lined Ut
before the committee at its recent hearings. anC
they were prepared with new arguments to tax,
the place Of the pleas of infancy