Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-30
MUCH DEBATED
TARIFF BILL IS
NOW COMPLETE
CONFEREES CONCLUDE ALL
DELIBERATIONS
LUMBER AND GLOVE RATES ARE
ALL REVISED
President Taft Holds His Own Ideas
on Duties and the Committee
Stays with Him-5oth
Win
tBy Associated Press.)

completed. An agreement on
all disputed points was reached this
afternoon and at 4:55 p IN. the re-
port was signed by the Republican
! conferees. 1t will go to the house to-
morrow and will be voted on by that
| body Saturday.
The senate Monday will begin con-
sideration of the measure. The SEN
! ate session may consume all next week.
Halted by the mandate Of President
| Taft, the tariff conferees were COM
PEELED to turn back and revise their
! rates on lumber and gloves. Hides
will be free, and the rates on shoes and
! other leather products reduced.
When the conferees fixed the lumber
and glove rates yesterday by shading
slightly the higher rates on each they
were so certain the president would
| consent to the arrangement that no
| tices were sent to the Democratic con-
| ferees to be present at 10 O'Clock to-
! day to approve or disapproVe of the
| report.
President Takes a Hand
| The president had other ideas Of
what the rates should be, however, and
he expressed them forcibly in letter:
He said the rate on lumber should
not be more than $1.25 per 1000 feet for
! rough, with the differentials fixed by
the senate on finished lumber
He declared also that the senate
rates on gloves, which are the same as
! the Dingley rates and much less than
! the house rates, must be adopted in
! order to secure his approval of the
bill.
The president also specified that hides
must go on the free list and that the
house rates on boots and shoes and
other leather manufactures must be re-
| duced.
| Hosiery, too, he thought should be re-
duced below the house rate. which was
advanced over the Dingley duties.
| It was not until after the Democratic
members had assembled that the White
! House communication was received
When Senator Aldrich read the letter
he called his Republican associates to
an adjoining room. The letter was dis
cussed, and it was decided the minor
! ity should be informed that the con
ference report had not been advanced
to a stage where it could be SUBMITTED
| to them
Democrats Hold Conference
After the Democrats had reached the
corridors they held little conference OF
their own. Representative Chaml
| Clark of Missouri was called back &C
the chamber. He was given a copy OF
! the bill as the conferees intend to re-
!
cussed by the president in his letter
The Democrats then went into session
! The minority members were in the
| conference chamber less than an hour
| Representative Griggs said II the Re-
publicans would consent to put cotton
! bagging on the free list his associates
would show great celerity in bringing
the conference report to a vote. Many
conferees were disposed to grant this
! request but Representative Mccall OF
| Massa chusetts protested vigorously on
! the ground that it would injure the
factories in his state that turn out cot
ton bagging. SO emphatic were his OBJ
iections that it was seen an agreement
would be delayed if the proposed action
were attempted.
| After the Democrats left there was a
! scene.
Representative Fordney and Repre-
sentative Calderhead went to the
! White House. and from there to the
Office of Speaker Cannon and back to
the chamber of the conference. Later
they conferred with a nmuber of north
western senators who were interested
in the lumber question.
Glove Question Is Serious
Speaker Cannon hurried to the con-
ference room. He has been one of the
! chief supporters of the house rate on
gloves.
There was no opportunity to com
| promise on gloves. The president SAID
| the rates must not be advanced be-
yond the figures named in the senate
| bill, which are the same as the existing
! duties except for the fact that Schmas-
! chen gloves, which were reduced by the
senate from $1.75 a dozen pairs to $l.25'
| These rates were accepted.
On lumber some concessions were
made in spite of the fact that the pres
! ident's instructions were compiled with
to the letter Rough lumber was made
| dutiable at $1.25 per 1000 feet; hnshed
! on one side $175; finished on two sides,
or one side planed and tongued and
| grooved, $215 finished on three sides
| $2.521s, and finished on four sides, $2.9O'
| TO conciliate Senators Pile and Jones,
| the conferees adopted the senate rate
of so cents per 1000 on shingles instead
of the house rate of 80 cents.
Compromise on Hosiery
| In order to obtain the support of
| Senator Hepburn, the differential on
pig lead in bars was restored to is
! cent per pound.
In view of the action of the con-
ferees in putting hides on the free
list, a concession also was made tc
the cattle industry by taking talloW
off the free list and making 1t dutlaple
at 1-2 cents per pound.
The rates on hosiery were fixed by
increases of about 20 per cent in grades
valued at 81, $3.50 and 81 dozen pairs
This is an increase over the existing
rates, but a material decrease from the
house advances.
on all other values of hosiery the
Dingley rates, re-enacted by the SEN
ate, were retained.
The minority members of the CON
ference were in session most of tht
afternoon. They called in number
of tariff experts in order to compare
the conference bill with the existing
law. When their session adjourned to-
night, it was announced the experts
had proceeded far enough to show that
the new bill increases rates from 1 tc
3 per cent over the ad valorem duties
of the Dingley bill.
Taft Writes Letter
A letter from President Taft to the
tariff conference, outlining his position
on the items which still are i'm doubt
Ihas created a considerable sensation
among the .conferees. The exact terms
of the letter have not been given out
but it is regarded as an ultimatum from
him. and is interpreted as meaninG
that If his terms are not complied witt
he will veto the bill when it reaches
him.
After giving the figures which he i.
willing to concede on lumber, gloves
hosiery. leather and leather goods, he
states in the letter he has given mucf