Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-29
ANSWER FOR VAN CLEAvE
Payne Wants Information on Tariff
from Any Who Know.
MANY TESTIFY AT HEARING
Representative Nicholas LOnEwOrth
and Others Indicate hat They
Are Against Unnecessary
Protection.

arc AgANhaN unnecessarily
Protection.
WASHINGTON, Nov. S.-"we are fully
aware that the bill reported from the com
mittee will be judged by the people. not
in the light of view of those prophets or
critics who are judging It in advance, but
IN the light of what will be learned from
the bill itself, and from an examination
OF the material before the committee
In these words Serene Payne, chairman
of the house ways and means committee,
today replied to the letter from J. w. Van
cleaye, president Of the National Associa-
ton of Manufacturers criticising the meth
DDS pursued In revising the tariff.
"Of course IL you have no at
your disposal which would aid the com
mittee in the formation of a bill, l can
understand your refusal to appear. II you
have such information l cannot see why
you do not accept the invitation which has
been extended to you and which is still
held out to you. should you reconsider your
determination" concluded Mr.. Payne.
What VancIeave said.
In his reply to the chairman OF the ways
and means committee, which was in reply
to an invitation to testify at the tariff
hearings, Mr.. Vancleave says:
We would rather bear the ills of the
Dingley tariff than to be a party to a
tariff revision made in the old manner. To
appear before you to plead for certain
schedules would be to acquiesce in the
superficial and unbusinessliRe methods Of
investigation against which you protest.
We have carefully watched all the state
ments that have been made by you and
your associates In recent years, and in
stead of convincing US of the error of our
WAWg. we are ImnrR than aver nnnNInnan
that your present plans of gathering in
formation, on when the REIMBURSEMENT is
proposed to be based, is wrong, radically,
absurdly. fatally wrong.
Mr.. Vancleave sets forth his views re-
garding an expert. nonpartisan tariff
commission" and claims that it is impos-
sible for, the ways and means
in the limited time at its disposal to make
an inquiry which can furnish an adequate
basis for any such tariff as the country
demands.
There was little of interest brought out
at today's session of the committee,
which was to finish up the hearing on
the metal schedule. While automobiles
are to be discussed fully at a later hear
ing, Charles H.. Sheriff. of New York ap-
peared today for the Automobile Import
ers' salon, ~favoring a reduction on the
tariff for automobiles.
Auto Trust Not an Infant.
He charged that there is an Automobile
trust, which expects to get the duty in
4 creased. Instead of ar infant lndus-
try seeking protection at the hands of
your honorable committee" said Mr..
Sheriff., ut could more properly be called
a trust. The American manufacturers Of
automobiles are divided into two large
groups, one the association of licensed
-,A.raoA{1o oa,,facturar u,bf,b ta on
ganized about the so-called Selden
patents, and the other the American Mo-
tor Car Manufacturer1 association, which
does not owe allegiance TO the Selden
patents. The Selden patent is an In
genious device to maintain a high price
for automobiles among the manufacturers
using the patent. Up till now all at
tempts to break this trust have failed
because of it's Foundation is a United
States patent, which is a monopoly
granted by the government"
Mr.. Sheriff. asked that the duty or
automobiles be reduced from as per cent
TO 80 per cent ad valorem, claiming that
the manufacture of foreign automobiles
} involved the use of much American ma
chinery besides bringing large business
to the American carriage builders. who
he said, make 80 per cent of the bodies
, for foreign motor cars.
E ]. H. Mutt, employed by the Western
l Bar Iron association, including plants in
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, asked
l that the same differentials between stee
and iron bars be observed and that the
1 duties be high enough TO maintain the
E small establishments.
John w. Walton Of Cleveland, as Z
l dealer, importer and consumer OF wir,
rope. asked that the duty on that articl,
be reduced.
,If you want to raise revenue you SHOULD
reduce the rates" advised Mr.. Walton.
Now the American manufacturer get
all the benefit and the government moth
ing, for the rates are >prohibitive."
Asks Specific Duty ON RazOrs.
q Representative Vreeland of New York
I on behalf OF a constituent, George w
n Kolns, who manufactures razors. asked 70
a specific duty on razors. The presen
8 duty averages 80 per cent ad valorem, bu
Mr.. Vreeland argued a higher duty wa
" necessary II the industry was TO becom
profitable in the United States. S. S
Erland OF Philadelphia asked for an in
crease Of 10 per cent on ball bearings,
= Dwight Divine OF New York desired tina
y the tariff on pocket knives be retained.
Increased duty on small sizes of chair
and a reduction on large sizes was tn
% request Of II. f. Mattern of Lebanon. Pa
and Thomas T. wooanouse of Trenton
N. ].
Representative Nicholas Longworth ind
8 Gated that he was against unnecessar
protection.
- THE total imports of chains equal onl
$4,000 a year" he said, You manuta,
ture in this country $4,000 worth. an
# yet you want an increase in the tariff"
want Duty IN Lead Ore.
y At the night session Arthur V. Davis
Pittsburg, a manufactures of aluminu
asked that the duties on aluminium be r
/" tanned. The same request in regard TO Il
rates on silverware was made by Samu
"a L.. Barber, representing a New Englal
silverware manufacturing company.
Asking that the present duty of $50 a u
- on lead in ore be maintained, c.. f, ALI
Of Salt hake City, representing mime oper
n tors in Utah. and Edward A. Roster. spea
ing for the lead industry Of southeaste
% Missouri, addressed the committee.
I'd Milton l.. Lissberger. speaking for I
lie lead manufacturers asked for a substsnti
I'd reduction in the duty on lead ore and sa
- a.