Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-07-20
TAFT WILL WIN
FIGHT TO REDUCE
RATES OF DUTY
Members of Conference Concede
That President Will Be Victori-
Gus in Carrying Out Ideas In
Tariff Bill.

WASHINGTON. July IL-President
Taft will win his fight for free or reduced
rates of duty on raw materials. Nearly
every member of the conference on the
traiff conceded this today. The indica-
tions are that when the new tariff bill
becomes a law the rates on the articles
which the president desired to come in
free will be as follows:
Iron ore free. present rate 40 cents per
toni
Oil free. CNow protected by counter
vailing duties.)
Hides, Z 1-2 per cent ad valorem. pres
ent rate 1 per cent?
Coal, 45 cents per ton. present rate
81 cents)
Lumber, probably s1.25 on rough. with
senate rates on finished. This would be
a material reduction throughout the lum-
Der schedule.
SUCCESS NOT EXPECTED.
When the conferees transferred to the
presidents shoulders the responsibility Of
putting the foregoing raw materials ON
the free list, il was not believed he would
meet with success in bringing about a
changed sentiment in relation to these ar
ticles. For several days, however, mem
bers of congress have been going to the
White House and not few of them came
away convinced that the president was
right in insisting that all of these articles
could stand lower duties. 1t was not be-
lieved he would be able to put hides
lumber or coal on the free list; bat 1t was
acknowledged that any reduction in rates
of the pending bill on these articles would
amount to an administration triumph.
In effect. the president was told by the
conferees that IL iron ore. oil, coal hides
or lumber were put on the free list or the
rates reduced below the figures adopted
in the senate, he would have to get the
votes"
1t was recognized that It would be i'm
possible to put hides, lumber and coal on
the free list were the conference report to
be adopted by the senate. Neither was it
believed that rates on these articles could
be reduced.
CHANGE OF SENTIMENT.
That change of sentiment had taken
place In the senate in the matter of free
iron ore and free oil was a matter of
common gossip about the capitol today
1t was stated just as confidently that the
10 per cent ad valorem rate on hides
would have to be cut in half although
some opponents to the proposition of put
ting hides on the free list are still hope
full or retaining a rate as high as 10 per
cent.
Coal at IS cents a ton, il was declared,
would prove satisfactory to every section
except Wyoming, which fears that the
industry in that state may be ruined by
cheap Canadian coal. 1t is understood
that the As cents rate If adopted, will
provide for no change in the existing rate
of Is cents a ton on slack, but that the
Elkins' amendment, providing that this
rate shah apply only to natural slack.
shipped as such at the mines, will be ac-
cepted.
ANOTHER VICTORY FOR TAFT.
President Taft will win another decided
victory in the Philippine free trade pro-
vision. The subcommittee which has
been considering this section has decided
to permit the free admission of 150,oO0000
cigars annually as requested by the pres
ident instead of 7O,O00.O 900, as would be-
admitted under a senate amendment.
1t is expected the Philippine section an
approved by the subcommittee will be
adopted. 1t provides for the free admis-
sion OF 100000 pounds of wrapper tobacco
and 1900, 900 pounds of filler tobacco and
100000 tons of sugar.
With the exception of rice and the I'm
itation placed upon tobacco and sugar, all
articles, 1.-THE growth, product, or manu-
facture of the Philippine Islands, will
be admitted free. The inclusion OF tas
words cor manufacture" is the subject
of criticism in many quarters. Many
think this would make IL possible to ship
raw materials into the Philippine islands
for manufacture with cheap labor and
then bring them into the United States
free of duty.
By action today the tariff conferees set
tied the question of giving the secretary
OF the treasury authority to issue fifty
year bonds at a rate of interest not ex-
ceeding three per cent to cover the en-
tire cost Of purchasing the site and con-
structing the Panama canal. An amends
ment to the tariff bill giving the author
ity was prepared by Secretary Mac
Veagh and adopted by the conferees.
The effect Of the bond provision is to
repeal the limit of the authorization con-
tanned in the Spooner act, although not
interfering with 2 per cent bonos issued
under that authority to the amount Of
ss4 6s1, $50 The estimated cost of the
canal is 1916, 201, 900.
There is no longer any question that
the corporation tax amendment will be
accepted. It will tax the net earnings OF
corporations organized for profit at the
rate of one per cent.
practically the only subject considered
during the forenoon session of the con-
ference was the wooden schedule. Three
reductions were made on women's and
chiIdren's dress goods, tops and yarns.
COTTON SCHEDULE UNFINISHED.
During the afternoon session an effort
was made to dispose OF the cotton scneu-
ule and many of the senate's specific rates
were adopted. Work on this schedule
was not concluded, however, as there
were numerous other questions on which
the conferees desired disposition before
adjourning until Monday
The metal schedule, with the exception
of iron ore and a few of its products.
practically has been agreed upon. Some
of the paragraphs may be reopened when
the iron ore question has been settled
On wire nails the rate of those of one
inch or more in length was fixed at four
tenths of one per cent. and on the smaller
sizes three-fourths of cent. This Is
an increase on the smaller sizes and. \
decrease on the larger sizes from the