New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-14
PAYNE FOR REVISION
SCHEDULE BY SCHEDULE
His Committee Takes Step
Toward Creating Permanent
Tariff Commission.
FRAMING A COMPROMISE
Chairman Not Enthusiastic Over
Commission Plan - Thinks
Present Board and Com
mittee Sufficient.
from The Tribune Bureau

Washington. Dec 13-Sereno f..
Payne, chairman Of the House Ways and
Means Committee and author OF the
Payne tariff BILL announced to-day at
hearing of that committee on the Good
and Lenroot bills providing for the Gre
alton of a permanent tariff commission
that he favored revision of the tariff
schedule by schedule.
At the same time. Mr. Payne declared
that he was not especially enthusiastic'
concerning the creation of a tariff COM
mission because he believed the present
tariff board and the Ways and Means
Committee can furnish all necessary in
forma ton regarding the difference in the
cost of production at home and abroad.
Nevertheless, members of the commit
tee asked Representatives Good and Len
root authors of the tariff commission
bills and John c. Cobb. of Boston. pres
iGent Of the National Tariff Commission
Association, to get together tomorrow
on compromise bill and to bring such
measure before the committee.
The three men. all of whom appeared
before the Ways and Means Committee
to-day, held a preliminary meeting to-
night, and tomorrow will endeavor to
reconcile the comparatively minor dis
crepancies between the Good and Len
root mea sures taking into consideration
also similar bills which have been in
troduced in the Senate by Senators Bev-
eridge and La Toilette
I am not especially enthusiastic on
the subject of the creation of tariff
commission" said Chairman Payne at
the hearing, but 1 may say that 1 favor
schedule by schedule revision of the
tariff This is the method by which
France averts panics and a disturbance
of business conditions. Over there they
have a commission which takes up the
tariff schedule by schedule. and the re-
vision is done gradually, without a
sweeping change in the entire tariff law.
1 would not be opposed to the adoption
of a joint resolution on the part of the
House and Senate agreeing that a revi-
sion of the tariff should be schedule by
schedule.
'fI am willing to see the light in this
matter of cost of production at home
and abroad, but 1 do not know that a
| tariff commission could furnish data
more complete than that compiled by
this committee or by the present Tariff
Board Take the print paper and wood
pulp schedule in the present law. On
| this schedule we had figures that no one
could dispute, and yet it has been the
butt of the criticism of the present tariff
| law"
In opening the argument in favor of
! his bill Representative Good, of Iowa,
suggested that the creation of a perma-
nent tariff commission should be on a
non-partisan basis in order to divorce
| the tariff from politics.
| None of us here will ever see the day
when the tariff ceases to be a partisan
question" commented Mr.. Payne.
To Harmonic Differences.
One of the chief differences between
the Good and Lenroot bills is the pro-
vision as to the tenure of office of the
five members of the proposed commits
| sion Mr.. Good said tonight that he
would accept the provision of the Len
root measure that the members should
| hold office for ten years, instead of five,
thus obviating the necessity for new ap-
pointments ip almost every administra-
ton. Mr. Cobb made this suggestion in
| advocating the creation of a tariff COM
mission before the Ways and Means
Committee to-day. and it was this pro-
posal that caused Representative Hill. of
| Connecticut. a member of the commit
tee to advise that Messrs. LenroOt, Good
and Cobb confer on a compromise meas
ure.
Mr.. Fordney. of Michigan. indicated by
his comments that he would persistently
oppose the creation of any sort of COM
| mission upon the theory that 1t would
keep the business world 'agitated the
wear round" The magazines and news
papers. he declared. are printing great
| "riff-raff of stuff attacking the present
tariff law, the best ever enacted by Con-
grass
Representative LenrOot said that it
was not his purpose that the tariff COM
mission should recommend" legisla-
tion. but that it should merely report
the facts concerning the cost of produc-
ton in this country and abroad as an i'm
partial jury, to which Messrs. Good and
Cobb agreed.
Encouraged by the attitude of MEM
hers of the committee. Mr. Good said to-
night that a compromise bill would be
framed tomorrow. and he believes it
will be favorably reported.
Richard Campion, of Philadelphia, a
manufacturer of woollen goods. told the
committee that the business interests of
the country demanded "a rest from
tariff agitation. He urged that no COM
mission be created