Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-19
rBy Associated Press. ]

NV ASHINGTON, March 1S.-Ihe
wv house committee on ways and
means agreed today, after the
first meeting of the full committee, to
report the Payne tariff bill back to
the house without amendment. The
Democrats were given until next Tues
day to prepare a minority report. 4
Representative Broussard of LoA
lana voted to report the bill withoA
amendment, but all the other Demon
Gratis of the committee voted against
1t.
The report accompanying the bill,
which was presented by Mr.. Payne, is
made up in the main of extracts from
the statement. regarding the sched-
ules which was given out by Mr..
Payne, but the Introductory portion of
it is devoted to an explanation or the
committees reasons for its course.
Two principal reasons for the read
justment of the schedules are given.
The first of these is that after the
lapse of tyelve years since the en-
actment of the Dingley law many new
complications in the tariff have arisen,
and it is said that the public demand
has been confirmed by the informa-
ton received by the committee since
it began it's investigation.
In the second place, it Is said that
since the Dingley bill went into effect
large number Of foreign countries
have adopted tariffs with maximum and
minimum rates, SO that section of
the present law is not regarded as suf-
ficiently broad to meet the changed
condition, as these new foreign tariffs
provide for the higher rate on large
part of our exports.
The committee expresses the opinion
that the new bill Is so constructed
that these lines will fully be met. 1t
1t
rate on the bulk of imported articles.
Bill Entails Hard Work
The committee then undertakes to
give an idea of the Importance of the
work in which it has been engaged, be-
ginning with the statement that the
preparation of the bill was no easy
task. The public demand for cut rates
is pointed to- and against this is set
the cardinal principle Of the Repub-
lican party of protection to American
industries and American workmen
against the difference in cost of pro-
duction at home and abroad.
The necessity for more revenue at
the present time is also discussed at
some length. 1t is asserted that until
the recent depression in business the
revenues under the present laws have
been sufficient to meet the expendi-
lures of the government, and the fact
is pointed out that, tai. ing the entire
period from 1897, the date of the en-
actment of the Dinglev bill, until 1909,
there has been a surplus of receipts
over expenditures of S74,555, 408.
The total receipts for this period, ex-
elusive of postal revenues, were $6,-
55S. .22O, ,260 and the expenditures, also
exclusive of postal expenditures, $6,-
483, ,664, ,656.
Comment is then made upon the eff
feet of the present industrial depres-
sion, and in that connection the COM
mittee says:
SIT is the hope of the committee that
with a return of business prosperity
the revenues will show large per-
centage of increase and prove entire
ly adequate for any natural and eco
nomical scale of expenditures"
1t is pointed out that even since the
beginning of the present month there
has been an upward tendency of re-
ceipts.
In explaining the provision for au-
thorizing the issue of $45,000,000 of adj
ditional Panama canal bonds the re-
mort saws that it is the belief of the
committee that the entire expenditure
for the building of the Panama canal
should be met by bond issue.
Mr.. Pay-e calls attention to the
GREAT amount of labor involved in the
preparation of the bill now before the
house, and he speaks OF the great as
sistance rendered the committee by
the department of commerce and Ia
bor and the state department.