The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-07
President Taft Sends Message
 To Congress On Legislation
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Is that in respect to number of the schedules the declared measure was not followed, but a higher difference retained or inserted by way of undue discrimina- ton in favor of certain industries and manufactures. Little, if any, of the crit icism of the tariff has been directed against the protective principle above stated; but the main body of the crit stated but the main body of tho criticism has been based on the charge that the at tempt to conform to the measure of pro- lection was not honestly and sincerely ad- hered to-.
 Tariff Board
 The time in which the tariff was pre- pared undoubtedly was so short as to make 1t impossible for the Congress and it's experts to acquire the information necessary strictly to conform to the e. clared measure. In order to avoid criti- cism of this kind in the future, and for the purpose of more nearly conforming to the party promise, Congress at It's last session made provision at my request for the continuance of board created under the authority of the maximum and minl- mum clause of the tariff bill, and author ized this board to expend the money ap- propriated under my direction for the as- oertainment of the cost of production at home and abroad of the various articles included in the schedules of the tariff. The tariff board thus appointed and au- thorized has been diligent In preparing itself for the necessary investigations. The hope of those who have advocated the use of this board for tariff purposes is that the question of the rate of duty imposed shall become more of business question and less of @ political question, to be sascertaned by experts of long train ing and accurate knowledge. The halt In business and the shock to business, due to the announcement that new tarln Dill is to be prepared and put in operation, will be avoided by treating the schedules one by one as occasion shah, arise Tor a change in the rates of each, and only after a report upon the schedule by the tariff board competent to make such re- port It is not likely that the board Will be able to make a report during the pres ent session of Congress on any or the schedules, because a proper examination involves an enormous amount or detall and a great deal of care; but l hope to be able at the opening of the new Con gross, or at least during the session of that Congress, to bring to it's attention the facts in regard to those schedules In the present tariff that may prove to neeu amendment. The carrying out of this plah of course, involves the full cooper ation of Congress in limiting the consld- eration in tariff matters to one sched- ule at a time because if proposed amendment to tariff bill is to involve complete consideration of all the sched- ules and another revision, then we shall only repeat the evil from which the busi- ness of this country has in times past suffered most grievously by stagnation and uncertainty, pending resettlement of law affecting all business directly or indirectly, and the effect of which no wise business man would ignore in new pro- jects and new investments. I cannot too much emphasize the importance and ben eft of the plan above proposed Tor the treatment of the tariff. It facilitates the removal of noteworthy defects in an ,lm- portant law without disturbance of bus mess prosperity, whch is even more inn portant to the happiness and the comfort of the people than the elimination of in- stances of injustice in the tariff.
 The inquiries which the members of the tariff board made during the last summer into the methods pursued by other gov ernments with reference to the fixing of tariffs and the determination of their eff feet upon trade, show that each govern- ment maintains an office or bureau, the officers and employees of which have made their life work the study of tariff mat ters, of foreign and home prices and cost of articles imported and the effect of the tariff upon trade, so that whenever change Is thought to be necessary in the l tariff law this office is the source of the most reliable information as to the propriety of the change and it's effect. I am strongly convinced that we need Tn | this government just such an office and that 1t can be secured by making the tariff board already appointed perma- nent tariff commission, with such duties, powers and emoluments as it may seem wise to Congress to give. It has been proposed to enlarge the board from three to five. The present number is con venient, but I do not know that an in- crease of two members would be objec- tionable.
 Whether or not the protective policy is to be continued, and the degree of protec- tion to be accorded to our home indus tries. are questions which the people