Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-23
BY ORDER OF TAFT
Chairman Emery Tells of Tariff
Board Estimates.
HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARS
Says President Told Him to Have
Figures Cover Two Years.
IN PLACE OF PERMANENT BODY
Executive, It Is Said, Has Little
Hope Of Congratulated
Measure Passing.
HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARS
IN PLACE OF PERMANENT BODY

Hope Of Congratulated
Measure Passing.
The appropriation OF 100000 to con-
tinue the life Of the present tariff
board for two years and pay its ex-
penses for that period, contained in
the sundry civil appropriation bill. re-
ported to the House today. is regarded
in some quarters as an indication that
President Taft does not expect the
Longworth-Dalzell measure creating a
permanent tarln commission to be-
come q law.
Chairman Emery OF the tariff board
told the appropriations committee that
the President had told him to make es-
Inmates to cover this year and the
next. when the democrats will control
the House.
II the provision goes through as re-
ported the democratic house will have
no opportunity to interfere with Presi-
dent Taft and his board. The President
evidently believes that 100000 for the
present tariff board is better than MOTH
Ing, for. after a most earnest attempt to
force the permanent board bill through
efforts on continuing the present or
ganization. AS the democrats supported
the permanent board bill it is not an
ticipated that they will oppose the pro-
bill.
Present Board Expensive.
That the present board is costing
plenty Of money was indicated by the
To- ~
before the appropriations committee
while the sundry civil bill was being
framed. He declared that the pay roll
Of the boards employees is $1,000 a
month, and that the members of the
board were drawing per diem expense
account of $10 while travelling, in ad-
dition to their salaries. Mr.. Emery said
that the payment of $500 month to one
man for expert services was necessary
and cited the instance of an expert
named Kindel of Pittsburg.
mfr. Kindel.' said Mr.. Emery, els an
engineer in the iron and steel industry
and has been employed by many of the
prepared for US a careful account of all
the iron and steel items in the metals
schedule. as to exactly what they mean
and what the process is. with a descrip-
tive study of the iron and steel industry
as related to the tariff and the relation
of one item to another In the tariff
Chairman Tawney elected that the in
vestigations of the tariff board so far
have not in any case been directed to-
ward ascertaining the difference in the
cost Of production in the United States
and abroad.
THE investigation of the question of
cost abroad has hardly begun in a sys-
tematic fashion, said Mr.. Emery, ''for
the reason that certain people are carry
ing out the problem of getting the cost
on the investigation abroad before the
home cost was secured
Fifteen Agents in Field.
Mr.. Emery declared that the board now
has fifteen agents in the field, who are
spending for travelling expenses SO
day, or $4,000 a year.
Representative Fitzgerald of New York,
who announced that he was opposed to
the tariff board proposition. in the course
of a cross-examination forced Mr.. Emery
to admit that the suggestion for two
year appropriation for the board came
from the President.
who suggested the sum of $500, OOO?''
demanded Mr.. Fitzgerald.
1t was first suggested by the Presi-
dent. I Think answered Mr.. Emery.
Was that on some information fur
nished to him or was it a guess?' asked
Mr.. Fitzgerald.
1.-THE President. asked me if. I thought
We could get along on 100000 for two
years and l told him that l thought we
could said Mr.. Emery.
Col1oquy Gets Heated.
Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr.. Emery engaged
in a rather heated colloquy on this point.
which Mr.. Fitzgerald concluded by an
The appropriations in this bill and III
all appropriation bills are made for one
year. l want to know whether there
has been some new change of policy or
whether there has been general sus-
picion that ii would be wise to try and
anticipate the work of the next House.
Or course. IL this session OF Congress
made all the appropriations, not only for
The next fiscal year. but for the following
fiscal year, the House that is to come
into power March 4 would be relieved of
the necessity of making any appropria-
tons whatever during the fiscal year for
which they would ordinarily do the
work.
Following this, Mr.. Fitzgerald pro-
ceeded to develop by a series of questions
that the tariff board was working abso-
luteiy along lines suggested by the Pres
ident.
Chairman Emery declared that at pres
ent the board has experts abroad in
ves'iGating the wool industry. In the
pulp and paper investigation he said that
the board had examined the books of
every important mill in tho east
we have men now In Wisconsin going
over those books" Mr.. Emery declared
and are about to examine the books of
the mills In Minnesota. which practically
covers the whole industry. We have
every item of cost price and sales, in
Guiding, in the case of many companics
all the figures showing the cost of wood
"nere they cut wood on their own land
what they have charged for stumpa &c
and what profit they have made on the
lumber transactions.
Agents in Canada.
Have YOU made corresponding puIn
and paper investigation in Canada: ."
asked Representative Malbv Of New
York.
We have agents in Canada now for
that purpose, said Mr.. Emery. I'VE have
some figures directly from Canadian
manufacturers from this end of the line
but We have not yet received the Cana,
dian returns. Our agents in Canada are
working on that now.
Have you returns enough from Can
ada 10 enable you to give any figures
showing the difference in the cost of pro-
duction in Canada and the United
States. Mr.. Malby demanded.
I'VE have Mr.. Emery returned but
We would rather not be asked for those
until completed. They are pretty incom
plete and we cannot tel until we get the