El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-01


and steel schedule is one Of the most
difficult OF all the schedules Of the tar
if to anaIyze, because Of the wonderful
range Of products made from iron ore.
When it is remembered that this sched-
ule covers products valued anywhere
from a cent a pound to - times their
weight in gold, it viii be seen how in
tricate is the iron and steel industry
and how deep Investigations will have
to go to reveal the true meaning Of it
all.
New Policy Probable.
It is expected that different policy
will be pursued by the tariff board in
opening up its inquiries into the leath-
er industry from that pursued in the
case Of cotton and wool In the case OF
the latter commodities the tariff board
went ahead and made It's Investigations
at the outset and heard tha people in
terested afterwards. In the case OF
leather 1t IS the boards intention 10
have representative leather ana 1eatn-
er-prOduCtS manufacturers meet n
Washington about the middle Of Janu-
airy for the purpose Of framing the
character Of the inquiry into this INDUS
try. These men viii bring in their re-
SpectiVe systems OF cost keeping ana
between the tariff board and the man
ufacturers it is hoped to more readily
make up the necessary schedules OF
inquiries than would be posslDIe wiz
out the assistance Of the manufactur-
ers. The tariff board feels tnat II IS
able to prepare the necessary schedules
without the aid Of the manuIdcl ureLsi
but that their assistance simpllties the
problem TO sufficient extent TO Jusl-
fy their being called In.
It is probable that the continuation
Of the tariff board will depend largely
.f-.Hrf - n
meets at the hands Of congress II the
reports Of the board on the cotton ahl
wool schedules are satisfactory TO tnal
body, the work Of the board may De
continued indefinitely. If they are not
satisfactory, congress may not continue
the necessary appropriations psyOh9
the current fiscal year. Inc IarlII poaro
has realized this fact, and to the end
that its work might be Of value to con-
gress, it has already spent the bulk OF
this appropriation for the fiscal year.
Therefore, IL may not be able 70 prose-
cute as thorough an investigation INTO
the metal and leather schedules as II
has made into the wool and cotton
interesting Phase of Work.
One of the interesting phases Of the
work Of the tariff board has been the
translation Of the tariff law into plain
English" Anyone who has read mod
ern tariff bill knows how thoroughly
technical and un-understandable II IS
10 overcome TINS QlLL4Cu4Ll anu 10 SIM
plify the tariff question, the board IS
preparing a glossary OF the different
schedules This is nothing less than
a complete dictionary Of the tariff ana
IL enables the layman to interpret the
meaning Of q schedule without diff
Guilty. That the task Of preparing this
glossary is not an easy one is SHOWN
by the fact that q glossary of the metal
schedule would make a book as large as
the ordinary school arithmetic. The
work Of preparing glOssarieS for the
cotton and wool schedules. for the met
al schedule, and for the drugs, paints
and oils schedule is well on its way
to completion.
After the tariff board has completed
its inquiries into the metal and leather
schedules 1t probably will next take up
the chemical schedule, If congress
feels that the report on cotton and wool
justifies the continuation Of the tariff
board II VIII probably make liberal
appropriation for the work OF next
year. 1t may come about that the Re
publican senate will approve the work
Of the board and that the Democratic
house Wiz not In that event there.
probably would be no appropriation for
the continuance Of the activities Of this
organization.
Much Hinges on Report
1t is probable that at no time in the
history of the tariff in the United States
has as much hinged on a single report
as hinges on the report Of the tariff
board on the cotton and wool schedules.
President Taft has insisted that he
could not see his way clear to do any
thing until the report was in his hands.
The Democratic leaders, on the other
hand, have declared that the abuses OF
the present schedules were sufficiently
obvious to justify them in revising the
tariff without waiting for any investl-
cations by the tariff board. What eff
feet the new policy Of the president in
making the tariff board a bipartisan
affair viii have on the Democrats is
not known
The Democratic party in congress has
never, as a party. advocated q tariff
board or commission. Last spring the
president felt that the proposition TO
establish a tariff commission COM
posed Of representatives OF both par
ties, for the purpose of making an in
vestigatiOn Of all matters pertaining
to the tariff, would be passed by con-
gress, and he decided that in such an
event he would appoint to tha- COM
mission three Republicans and two
Democrats. When his measure failed,
he decided to appoint the men he had
in mind for the commission as the Dem
ocratic members to positions on the tar
if board making it consist Of five mem
bers instead of three, retaining the old
members, all three Of whom were Re
Probable Democratic Policy.
Some declare that the Democrats in
the house viii take the position that
under a policy of a tariff for revenue,
and that to contiSue the tariff board
would be to seem to endorse, in part at
least. the principle Of protection. The
members Of the tariff board, however,
believe that they have succeeded in
bringing out such a valuable line OF
information concerning the wool and
cotton industries that the Dem Ocratie
party although ii has voted against
the tariff commission idea in the past,
viii continue the necessary appropria
tions for its work These appropria-
lions average about S250.000 q year
Last year the apprOpria ton was $3.50,
600. and that for the current year is
S225,000, with the uneXpended balance
Of last year continued over for the pres
ent year. It is believed by the members
of the board thar a quarter Of a million
dollars a year will suffice to keep In
formation on all subjects pertaining to
the tariff mp TO date.
Cannot Swear Witnesses.
The tariff board does not possess the
power Of securing testimony under
oath It does not believe that this
power is essential or advisable in its
work Members Of the board say that
they can get much more valuable infor
nation by personal interviews than by
an Oathbound inquiry, and that they
possess such a satisfactory system Of
nv, a ~ form ffoT orfvn7 than