The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-05-05
TAFT PLANS FOR
CARRYING OUT
80. Ill -
PARTY PLATFORM
An Appropriation to Conduct
Inquiry Into Home and
Foreign Costs

| EVIelSu OOSCS
DATA GATHERED WILL RE USED tn
CORRECT TARIFF INEQUALITIES
This Information Was Lacking When
the Present Tariff Law Was Framed
is What Chicago Platform De.
clared for in Tariff Making.
Washington. May 5.-The next step
in the direction OF little fulfllment
of the pledge in the last Republican
national platform pertaining to a re-
vision of the tariff will be taken by
congress this month, provided men,
bers Of the house and senate who rec
ognize the signs Of the times can
outvote that peculiar species Of
statesmen whose hindsight is better
than their foresight. In response to
request from President Taft, Chair
man Tawney, of the house committee
on appropriations, will insert in the
sundry civil bill an item Of $3.50, 900
for the use of the tariff board which
was created by the Payne-Aldrich act
last summer.
The purpose of this appropriation
is to enable the board to ascertain the
difference in the cost of production
Of articles of commerce in the United
States and in foreign countries. The
Republican platform declared for tar
III duties which would represent the
difference between the cost of produce
tion here and abroad, plus reason
able profit to American manufacture
ers. But when congress was meeting
in extraordinary session last year it
was not in possession Of the data
showing this difference, and the re-
suit was, as nearly everybody knows,
that some Of the schedules contain in
equalities which will have to be ad-
justed before the criticism of a large
percentage Of the public subsidies.
Data Is Indispensable.
The president realizes that such in
formation 10 indispensable to an equit-
able adjustment Of the rates COM
planned Of. az we'll as other rates
which have not been the object Of
special attack. and he has construed
the provision creating the tariff board
to mean that that body is empowered
under the law to obtain 1t. Certain
influential senators and representa-
tives thought they had succeeded in
restricting the functions of the board
to the duty Of determing whether or
not foreign governments were dis
terminating against the United States
so as to enable the president to de-
eide whether they were entitled or not
to the minimum rates Of the tariff act.
But Mr.. Taft placed a broader in
terpretation on the manner in which
the board could be utilized, and
Chairman Tawney. recognizing the
correctness Of that Interpretation.
will report an appropriation Of $780,
along the lines marked out by the
president. As soon as the money is
available Mr.. Taft will direct the
board to make comprehensive CLOS
sary and encyclopedia of the terms
used and articles embraced in the
tariff law and obtain Information as
to the cost of production Of such
goods in this country and abroad. He
believes this work will take two or
three years. and it is his intention to
ask congress for an annual approp-
ration until the board completes the
task.
II congress votes the appropria-
ton, the president ought to be able
before the end of his present term.
to submit data which will form the
basis of revision Of some of the
schedules which now accord a greater
degree of protection to certain Ameri-
can industries than was promised by
the Chicago platform in 1908. or is
just and fair to the American consum-
er. Many people seem to have for
gotten that the president more than
month ago-to be exact. on March
2S-sent a special message to con-
gress asking for this appropriation.
They apparently do not remember.
either that in his regular message to
congress last December he explained
his Interpretation of the functions of
the tariff board in the manner herein
described.
Means to Remedy Defects.
His purpose in placing broader
construction upon the tariff board
section of the law than was thought
possible by some Of the leaders of the
senate. indicates his purpose to in
sist that congress remedy the defects
in the bill passed last summer as
soon as practicable. though with az
little disturbance to the business of
the country as possible. 1t is his in
tention. as he himself has said, ito
invite the attention Of congress to the
necessity for action II the facts OBJ
tained by the board are Of such a
character as to show generally that
the rates of duties imposed by the
present law are excessive under the
principles of protection as described
in the Republican PLATFORM
Mr.. Taft might provoke some pop
ular acclaim at this time by promising