Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-18

tlon OF d per cent in the duties on pottery.
As at all former tariff hearings. there
was a fight between the shoe and leather
manufacturers OF New England and the
cattle raisers Of the west. The leather
manufacturers we're loath to admit that
their industry could stand a reduction in
the duties on shoes and other leather ar
ticles. but urged that the raw material
should be placed on the free list. An anus
ing incident occurred when one of the shoe
men admitted that with free hides the shoe
manufacturers would lie able to compete
with foreign manufacturers without tariff
protection. This caused the leather manu-
facturers to assemble their forces and pre-
sent arguments to show that the duty on
the manufactured article should not be
reduced.
Tariff ON Leather.
Elisha w Cobb. 20 Manufactured OF
leather Of Boston. Mass, told the commit
tee that the tariff ON hides accrued only
to the benefit OF the packers and not to
the farmer and cattle raiser. He declared
that the large packers Of Chicago are en-
gagged in the tanning business and look for
ward to the time when they will have COM
plete monopoly in the hide business and
in the sole and upper-leather business.
The wool schedule was the occasion for
more contention than any other, and dur
ing its consideration there was much critl-
cism of the methods by which tariff bills
are framed. While william whitman of
Boston representing the National Wool
manufacturers was on the stand, Repre-
! sentative Clark of Missouri placed in the
record a pamphlet which purported to in
form the ways and means committee how
tariff laws are framed" The name OF the
author of the pamphlet was given as Frank
+. Bennett of Boston.
'"rhe place you get. in your work is not
in the house of representatives or In the
ways and means committee, but is In the
senate, isn't it?" was one of the character
istic questions asked by Champ Clark OF
Mr.. Whitman.
Wool Growers Ask Protection.
The wool growers of Ohio and the west
ern states declared emphatically to the
committee that further protection must be
given the industry or the wool-growing
, business would be entirely wiped out. The
wooden manufacturers also asked that the
present duties at least be retained on their
product. There were several supplementary
hearings on the wool schedule, all OF which
indicated that the various branches of the
industry differ as to the proper classified
ton and differentials to be established in
the tariff. The carpet manufacturers de-
clared that the classification in the present
tariff Is unjust to their industry and sim
liar claims were made by other manufac-
turers. There was much testimony which
shed considerable light on the methods
employed in the manufacture OF wooden
fabrics, indicating that much so-called pure
wool clothing contains considerable shoddy
and rags. This called forth the suggestion
from Representative Clark that there
should be a pure clothing law similar in
its objects to the pure food law.
The admission from the Philippines free
of duty of 10000 tons of sugar was the
first proposition on which the ways and
means committee agreed. This action was
taken by the committee following a con-
ference with MIR. TAFT. The statement by
Edwin F.. Atkins of Boston that there was
great danger OF an Instruction in Cuba
II the tariff on sugar Is not reduced and
the made by Claus II. Spreckles
of New York In favor of a reduction in
the duty were the striking features OF
the hearings on the sugar schedule. Sec
rotary of War Wright appeared before the
committee ip favor of free sugar from the
Philippines. lie declared that the s~o-called
sugar trust was understood to own 81 per
cent OF the stock Of the beet sugar refin-
cries acd that that is possibly the reason
why t3c Heet sugar industry has not grown
! y iLis q, r,r The Louisiana cane sugar
I Nrwv., ga .ol ,hat the price to the con-
snla.r q g'e9r 1ud the price paid to the
farmer fc~ li3 product is fixed by the
sugar trust"
The California fruit growers were ar
raycd against the importers. and one ar
Gumont advanced b. the latter for reduced
duties on lemons was that the recent
earthquake in Sicily had resulted In a
scarcity Of labor and the destruction OF
lemon groves. Senator Hale appeared be
fore the committee to ask that tapioca
flour be specially provided FOR in the bill.
Similar requests were made on numerous
articles. The committee found consider
able Information at its disposal in a volume
giving statistics regarding imports and du-
ties prepared by William w. Evans, as
sistant clerk Of the committee. william X.
Payne is the clerk Of the committee.
4 Cruel Mistake