Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-05
NEED OF TARIFF
REVISION URGED
MANY INDUSTRIES ARE REPRE-
SENTED AT HEARING
PROMINENT WAGoNMAKER TO
ADDRESS COMMITTEE
Reports of Consular Agents Not Ac-
cepted by Ways and Means Body
Because of "WoefuI
Revelations"
[By Associated Press.l

WASHINGTON, Dec. Al. e. Miles
Of Racine, Wis, chairman of the tarln
committee of the National Association
of Manufacturers, arrived in this city
last night, to appear before the ways
and means committee OF the house Sat
urday. He will appear, however, as an
individual and not as representative
of the association.
Mr.. Miles is one of the largest inde-
pendent manufacturers of agricultural
implements, carriages and wagons In
the country.
Mr.. Miles agrees with President Van
Cleave of the National Association Of
Manufacturers that in some form the
preliminary work of changing the tariff
schedules must be put into the hands
of a board or commission which shall
go to the bottom of the matter He
declares that great progress has been
made during the past few weeks in
demonstrating the utter futility and
inadequacy of the old method.
Reports of consular agents to the
house committee on ways and means
on the cost of production in foreign
countries of articles manufactured here
are not accepted, as in most instances,
as Chairman Payne declared, they tend
to establish the claim that the present
cost of living of European labor is
woefully out of proportion to the aver
age wage paid.
The comment about the big commit
tee room concerning this feature Of the
reports is generally to the effect that
the attitude of the European govern
ments is largely responsible for this
condition.
Point to Action Abroad
Representatives point to the action
of Germany and France, in particular,
in shutting out American cattle from
their markets and increasing not only
the price of meat, but indirectly the
price of all agricultural porducts neces-
sary for the laborer's subsistence.
w. p. Wakeman, secretary of the
American Protective Tariff league, who
was the appraiser for the port of New
York from 1897 to 1901, called at
tention to what he asserted were weak
nesses in the administration of the
tariff laws.
Former Representative Montague
Tester of New York appeared before
the committee in favor of having the
81 ton on peat moss removed.
John M. Peters of New York, secre-
tary of the National Association of
Importers, spoke on the section of the
administrative act of the tariff law
applying to INTERPRETATIONS
Chairman Payne asked Mr.. Peters to
file a brief.
Gordon r. Morse of Detroit asked
that higher duty be imposed on gaso-
line marine engines imported into the
Philippine islands from every country
but the United States.
"What you want, Mr.. Morse" said
Mr.. Hill (Republican) OF Connecticut
sis the same protection in the Philip
pines that you are getting in the
United States, Hawaii and Porto Rico
and I think that at some time soon
you will get that"
Representative William c. Lowering
Republican, of Massachusetts, spoke
with reference to the drawback pro-
visions of the tariff. He offered sew
eral amendments, claiming that the
law had been found to have certain
defects which tend to limit it's useful
ness.