The Washington herald., 1910-12-04

| Chicago, Dec. 2-Henry c. Emery.
chairman of the tariff board, to which
President Taft and his supporters are
| looking for facts upon which to base
future reyisons of the tariff. delivered an
important speech here tonight, outlining
the work that the board has done thus
| far, Mr. Emerys speech makes 1t ap-
patent that no report from the board on
the wool or any other schedule may be
expected for several months. This I'M
| dOubtedly means that there will be no
recommendation from President Taft for
tariR revision in the coming session of
| Congress.
/ Mr. Emery. together with James B.
Reynolds and Alvin H. Sanders. of the
tariff board. were the guests of honor at
the banquet given in the gold room cf
the Congress Hotel. The affair was a.
tended by several hundred prominent
men OF affairs of Chicago, besides num-
| Der OF guests from other cities.
Mr. Emery made it plain that the
| tariff board would not be hurried in It's
work by popular clamor. He spoke before
| the association OF commerce at the an
nual dinner.
I'VE have resolved. said he. mot TO sub
stitute for facts any half-formed guesses
or opinions. We shall not depart from
/ this resolve under orders or pressure
from any man or any interest, nor In re-
Spouse 10 mere unthinking elamor''
| II is understood that Mr.. Emery's
speech here tonight was delivered with
the approval of President Taft. II has
| been known for some time that the tariff
board contemplated a statement of its
work thus far and his statement has
been eagerly awaited by the business in
terests of the country,
Probing Our New Tariff.
| Chairman Emery said that the tariff
board up to April ] last had been en-
gagged entirely in Nork for the State De-
partment on the so-caIled maximum and
minimum treaties under negotiation with
| foreign countries. In April the board
began to consider In detail the means OF
| investigating our own tariff.
Chairman Emery and James B. Rey-
nolds, another member of the board. went
abroad to study methods OF tariff making
| in foreign countries, and 10 establish
! sources of information abroad. Mr.. EN-
cry added:
1.-THE result OF this work abroad is
full Information as 10 the methods en-
| ployed in tariff making by OAher govern
ments and what lines OF investigation OF
foreign conditions are most effective We
have established a direct line of cOmmu-
nieation and cooperation between the
board and European industrial centers
We have learned much as TO what infor-
nation is Obtainable, where It is. and
who Will give IL to us, and what Is
equally important, We know where IL will
be useless either 10 ask or TO search.
1--WE realized that one OF the most Inn
portant things for us TO know is How
not 10 do It,; that Is, 10 know what in
formation II is impossible TO secure and
what efforts would prove barren of re-
suits. This applies 10 our work in all
its phases. and II has seemed better TO
US 10 move with caution rather than 20
be hurried into elaborate and extended
investigations which would prove OF no
value.
Patience IL Needed.
We are making no apologies, but we
do feel that It is fair to ask for patience
on the part Of those interested in our
work, in view of the fact that we have
been obliged TO build the road through
an untraveled territory. strewn with
difficulties and beset with pitfalls"
Chairman Emery divides the work that
the board has undertaken into three dis
tinct parts. He describes the first part
as follows:
We intend TO secure as TO each article
In the tariff concise information. some
OF which is easily available and can he
quickly tabulated. regarding the nature
of the article, the chief source of supply
at home and abroad. the methods of It's
production. its chief uses, statistics OF
production imports and exports. with an
estimate of the ad valorem equivalent for
ali specific duties. This is what the
President meant by -translating the tariff
into English We consider this work of
great Importance. even if we were TO go
no further. To use the Presidents
phrase again. We shall prepare for pub
LEGATION a glossary OF the tariff, article
by article. BY consulting this glossary
any one who now reads a complicated
schedule without understanding at all
what it means will be able 10 learn the
leading technical and commercial facts
regarding the article, put IN simple Ian
gUage He will be able to know how the
home prOguction compares with that
abroad. and what is the actual duty, ex-
pressed IN ad valorem terms. This work
is now well under way"
Cost of Production.
The second part of the boards work,
as explained by Chairman Emery, is an
inquiry into actual costs of production.
This is being carried on by trained men
in the field who go directly 10 the CEN
ters of industry and work directly on the
books of manufacturing plants.
In regard to the third division OF the
boards work. Prof. Emery says:
We are employing men of experience
from particular lines of industry. both
on the technical and the commercial side.
TO secure accurate information regarding
actual prices at home and abroad, the
peculiar local conditions affecting any
particular industry, and the general con-
ditions of home and foreign competition
to which il is subject"
All this material under the three divi-
siOns of work is being obtained, so the
chairman reported, under the direct guild
anee Of the board assisted by a group
of trained economists.
Chairman Emery said there has been
NOHHiucIdOit MISUNDERSTANDING about
hearings before the board. and many
manufacturers have wondered how the
board could be investigating their sched-
ules without consulting them. The an
swer. according 10 the chairman, is that
the board considers II a waste of time
to have all parties concerned appear be-
fore it until careful preliminary study
of the industry has been made.
Testimony Is Invited.
Before reaching definite conclusions.
said Chairman Emery, I'VE shall welcome