The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-01-14
DISCUSSING
TARIFF CHANGES
AN AGGRESSIVE MOVEMENT IN
FAVOR OF A GENERAL REDUC-
TIoN OF THE SCHEDULES.
Especial CORRESPONDENCE


said today of the Ways and Means Ia
riff hearings:
THE public hearings before the
Committee on Ways and Means of the
House of Representatives having clos
ed the natural query is, what inference
can be drawn from the hearings as to
the trend of public sentiment in re-
gard to tariff revision, and of the prob
able attitude of the committee in the
work of revision. Looking at the mat
ter from the standpoint of those items
in which the intermountain territory
is particularly interested | regret to
say that the outlook is not as salts
factory as we would like to have it.
Taken as a whole the hearings have
clearly shown that those who are in
terested in tariff reductions have in
the main been more active in the pre-
sentation of facts, views and argu-
ments, than those who favor the re-
! tention of the present rates of protec-
| ton.
at is my opinion that this does not
indicate lack of interest on the part
of those who feel that considerable
lowering of the duties affecting the
| industries in which they are interest
ed would be disastrous but rather from
over-confidence that adequate duties
will be retained without any effort on
their part.
1.-THE case of the wool growers was
quite fully presented, though it is an
unfortunate fact that with the eXcep-
| ton of the testimony of General Gros-
| venor no considerable argument was
presented on behalf of the farmers who
grow mutton sheep and whose inter-
ests are quite as much imperiled as
| those of the range sheep grower. 1t
| is true that the manufacturers OF
wooden goods have Joined with the
sheep men in advocating an adequate
duty on wool and while this is helpful
| it is not altogether certain that this
class of support has been an unmiXed
benefit. 1t is my opinion that 1t will
|
present wool schedule.
I'm the matter of the tariff on hides,
the testimony presented on that point,
| like that on the wool schedule, ought
to be entirely convincing but in view
of the very insistant demand for free
| hides and the reiteration of the fallacy
| that the farmer and ranch man re-
ceived little or no benefit from the
duty, and judging from the attitude
| of some of the members of the COM
mittee there is a very considerable
danger of hides going on the free list.
| A strenuous effort must be put forth II
such action is to be prevented.
with the exception of my appear
ance before the Ways and Means Com
mittee and that of some Wyoming
operators the Northwestern view OF
the necessity of an adequate duty on
coal was not presented to the commit
tee while there was considerable ar
gument from the East both for free
coal and a reciprocal free trade ar
rangement with Canada, either OF
which would be disastrous to the coal
| industries of the Northwest, particu-
larly those of Washington, Montana,
and Wyoming, and indirectly to the
coal industries of Utah, Colorado, and
Kansas through the increase of COM
petition that these Goals would have
to meet should Wyoming be COMPEL
ed to secure it's entire market south oil
the Montana line. From the stand
point of the interests of the Northwest
it is an unfortunate fact that the btu
minous coal operators of West Nir-
ginia do not seem to be taking very
much interest in the coal tariff and
some of the operators of Western
Pennsylvania hold that a reciprocal
arrangement with Canada would give
them a larger market than they woulc
lose. %StM
The case of the beet sugar growers
and producers of beet sugar was pretty
thoroughly presented before the com
mittee but the danger to that industr!
lies in the demand for the free lmpor
tation of Philippine sugar. believe
however, that there is reasonable pros
peot OF preventing injurious actor
on this line.
1--WE should not lose sight OF tn
fact that the so called tariff reformer
are very active and insistent. Thos
who insist that the declaration for re
vision in the Republican platform
should be interpreted to mean rev.
sion downward and who constantly pu
= forward the statement that an
thorough revision must bring a genera
lowering of the duties are constant
active through the press and their va
}. rious associations, in promulgaun
o their views. Neither should we los
sight of the influence of that class
manufacturers who are clamoring Il
4Io,, QUO ,o1aooad IN call free ra