Connecticut western news., 1911-12-28
TAFT URGES REDUCTION
 OF TARIFF ON WOOL.
Sends Message to Congress
 With Boards Report.

President Taft's long awaited mes Payne-Aldrich tariff law. together with the tariff boards report on this sub Ject, was sent to congress.
 The findings of the tariff board justi- fy President Taft's characterization of the present wool schedule as 'indefen- sible."
 The tariff board itself makes no rec concentrations as to the rates of duties that should be levied on raw wool or the manufactured products It has no authority to make such recommenda- dons and merely presents its findings,
 "I now herewith submit report of the tarifr board on Schedule K." the president says. "The board Is unani- nous in its findings. On the basis ot these findings I now recommend that the congress proceed to a consideration of this schedule with a view to Its re- vision and a general reduction of its rates.
 ''The report shows that the present method of assessing the duty on raw wool-thls is, by a specific rate on the grease pound q. e. unscouredl-op- crates to exclude wools of high shrink age in securing. but of fine quality. from the American market, and there by lessens the range of wools available to the domestic manufacturer; that the duty on secured wool of S3 cents per pound is prohfbitory and operates to exclude the importation of clean. low priced foreign wools of inferior grades, which are nevertheless valuable mate rial for manufacturing and which can not be imported in the grease because of their heavy shrinkage. Such wools If imported might be used to displace the cheap substitutes in use.
 Gives illustration.
 TO make the preceding paragraph a little palmer. take the instance of hundred pounds of first class wool i'm. ported under the present duty. which Is II cents a pound. That would make the duty on the hundred pounds $11. The merchantable part of the wool thus imported is the weight of the wool of this hundred pounds after securing.
 "f the wool shrinks 30 per cent. as some wools do. then the duty in such a case would amount to S11 on twenty pounds of secured wool This, of course. would be prohibitory.
 These determinations could be over come by assessing duty in ad valorem terms, but this method is open to the objection. first. that it increases admin istrative difficulties and tends to de crease revenue through undervaluation. and. second, that as prices advance the ad valorem rate increases the duty per pound at the time when the consumer most needs relief and the producer can best stand competition, while if prices l decline the duty is decreased at the time when the consumer is least bur. dened by the price and the producer most needs protection.
 Manufacture Costly. "The findings show that the cost of turning wool into yarn in this country is about double that in the leading competing country and that the cost of turning yarn into cloth is some what more than double. Under the protective policy a great industry. in. volvtng the welfare of hundreds of thousands of people. has been estab- lished despite these handicaps.
 "In recommending revision and re- duction therefore urge that action be taken with these facts in mind to the end that an important and established industry may not be Jeopardized-
 Tt Is no part of the function of the tarifr board to propose. rates of duty Their function is merely to present findings of fact on which rates of duty may be fairly determined in the light of adequate knowledge. in accord with the economic policy to be followed. This is what the present report does. '"The findings of fact by the board show ample reason for the revision downward of Schedule K. in accord with the protective principle, and pre- sent the data as to relative costs and prices from which may be determined what rates will fairly equalize the diff. ference in production costs. recon. mend that such revision be proceeded with at once"