The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-15
TARIFF REVISION
THE BIC PROBLEM
Will Occupy Greater Part of
Extra Session of Con-
greSS.
new FORCE WILL RULE.
NEXT TARIFF LAW WILL NOT
CONSIDER THE PRODUCER AS
MUCH AS THE CONSUMER
ROOSEVELT TO KEEP QUIET,

Washington, Nov. 14.-During the
next eight months the tariff is going
to be highly popular theme of dis
cussion. The tariff bill which it is
expected will be passed at an extra
session Of the sixty-first congress al
ready Is under way. A lot of data has
been gotten together, court decisions
and executive orders interpreting the
present law have been compiled and
during the coming winter every i'm
portant interest affected by possible
changes in the schedules will have an
opportunity to be heard.
The tariff is going to be revised, but
it will be a republican revision Is the
dictum Of party leaders. On this point
there is no difference of opinion
among republicans, though it is to be
expected there will be differences as
to just what constitutes republican
revision. There has been manifested
since the election the keenest anxiety
that the business interests Of the
country shall not be alarmed over the
purpose of republicans to redeem their
pledge to revise the tariff In this,
Of course, the democrats heartily join
as rejoicing over signs of returning
prosperity is not confined within the
limits of the victorious party.
Certain OF the large business inter-
ests, however, may as we'll make up
their minds to adjust themselves to
new tariff conditions. The lumber
and paper industries are two in point.
There is ever reason to believe lum-
Der and pulp wood will be placed upon
the free list or the tariff reduced to
so low a point that it will offer no
barrier to the importation of Canadian
lumber. There are two demands for
free lumber that congress will find
hard to resist One grows from the
need of cheaper pulp paper and dress
ed lumber and the other from the nee
essity Of conserving American forests.
Clifford Pinchot, the national forester,
is an urgent advocate of free lumber,
and in this he will have the moral
support of the incoming administra-
ton. Mr.. Pinchot does not believe free
lumber would greatly reduce the price
of dressed lumber in this country, but
he does believe it will prevent inevi-
table advances in prices. His chief
interest, though is that it would lessen
the drain on American forests and
give the new growths chance to at
tain maturity. The demand for pulp
wood Is now SO great that trees suit
able for that purpose are cut when
they are little more than saplings.
Canada has vast tracts of absolute
ly virgin forests, much Of 1t accessible
to the waters of the Great Lakes. and
this would supply the needs of the
United States for many years to come
without menacing the Canadian for
ests. The great wheat belt interposes
between the eastern and western Can
adam forests, but in the extreme west
of British Columbia there is some of
the most valuable timber in the Amer
lean continent.
The cost of stumpage and getting
out timber in Canada is about the
same as In the United States and the
distance In haul would give domestic
lumber slight advantage in the Uni
ted States markets even without a
tariff. For these reasons, the experts
declare. free lumber would hold prices
at about the present level for lumber
and would slightly reduce the price
OF pulp wood. Free lumber. OF course,