Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-04
open the oil controversy when the bill
reaches the Senate proper.
OIL Fight Not Finished.

i open the Oil controversy WDen tHe OH
| reaches the Senate proper.
Oil Fight Not Finished.
The placing of petroleum on the free
| list by a substantial majority of the Sen
| ate apparently has not taken all of the
| fight ont of the independent oil producers.
At a conference OF the representatives of
| the independent oil producers, who have
been in Washington practically all OF the
present session of Congress. it was de-
cided yesterday to make another effort to
amend The bill so as to provide for d
countervailiug duty on crude petroleum.
Unlike the provision of the existing
| law, however. the proposed amendment
VIII prescribe that the duty to be collect
ed shall be only one-half of the duty
imposed by any foreign country upon oil
exported from the United States
senator curtis, who is in the confidence
OF the finance committee. has been Sc
lected TO introduce the new amendment.
He has had the interests of the indepen-
dent producers at heart throughout the
several fights that have been made to
give them protection.
Amendments Defeated.
Those who sought to aid the indepen-
dents were defeated on propositions look
Ing TO the imposition of duties upon
crude and refined petroleum and upon
products Of petroleum. These amend
ments were altered on several occasions
to meet the argument that the Standard
on Company would be the chief bene-
hciary If the amendments were adoDted
Inc prejudice against q duty of any
kind upon petroleum was sufficient TO
deteat all of the PROPOSITIONS subnitte
to the committee of the whole
The new amendment to be offered is
IN IN. nature OF proviso, and is as
follows:
That If there be imported into the
United States crude petroleum produced
In any country which imposes a duty
on petroleum exported from the United
states there shall in such cases be levied.
PAID and collected a duty upon said crude
petroleum so imported. one-half OF the
duty imposed by such country"
This amendment differs from the ex-
listing countervaling provision in that
It relates only to the crude petroleum
instead of crude and refined petroleum
and the products thereof, and that one
half of the duty imposed by a foreign
country is levied instead of the full
rates 1t is expected by friends Of the
er support Tor this provision on the
ground that the so-called oil monopoly
has small interest in the crude product
as compared with that held by the in
dependents.
Arguments for Provision.
In arguing with senator's in favor of
the new provision the representatives of
the independents have set forth that
they produce 50 per cent of the crude
petroleum and refine only about 20 per
cent. They mention the fact also that
they have comparatively small interest
IN the natural products of petroleum
Mexico. which will be affected more than
any other country if the counterva'l-
q M ns,,ku t,,oI
of nearly forty-nine cents barrel on the
crude products. This is est mated to be
equivalent to an ad valorem rate of
between 800 and 400 per cent, and the
independents assert that this duty is
prohibitive.
When this amendment is offered in the
Senate an effort will be made to get a
roll call upon it. Already several of the
members who voted against the Penrose
amendment placing a duty on crude pc
troleun have signified their intention of
voting for the counterVailing duty
Administrative features of the tariff bill.
which have not yet been reported, will
be taken up today by the Senate com
lures is the drawback provision
The committee will meet at 10 O'Clock
1t is expected to remain in session sew
eral hours.
Taft Not at Odds With MacVeagh.
Steps were taken yesterday to correct
the impression that a conflict has arisen be-
tween President Taft and Secretary Mac
Veagh of the Treasury Department over
efforts to adopt an amendment to the
tariff bill revising the law relating to
the manufacture and sale of oleomar-
garne. The seeming conflict was pro-
voked by misinterpretation of state
ment given out by Representative Taw-
ney of Minnesota, following a conference
he had with the President On the "oleo'
question.
The Secretary of the Treasury was re-
ported to be in favor of putting a fat
rate of = cents pound on all sorts of
"oleo' In the place Of the tax of one
quarter of cent pound for uncolored
ana I'D cents pound for the colored
product. Because of the activity of
Treasury Department officials the impress
sion prevailed that the suggested change
had the support of the administration,
ami Mr.. Tawney sought to make ii clear
that the President had not indorsc1 the
MacVeaeh proposition.
Tawney Sets It Straight.
In an interview given out yesterday Mr.
Tawney says that the President had not
taken stand on the question at ALL
Mr. Tawney's statement follows:
THE statements published in various
New York and other newspapers pur-
porting to be interviews as to what the
President authorized me to say are wholly
incorrect. l did not see the representa-
uves OF any New York newspapers and
to the representatives of the press that
did see / merely said that I was au-
thoriZed by the President to say that this
oleomargertne legislation is not an adj
ministration measure. but it is purely
a Treasury Department matter"
AccYrsrn or vInNAprrc