Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-09-24
TARIFF BOARD IS
GIVEN A Defense
TAFT TAKES ISSUE WITH THOSE
WHO GALL m \ pRETENr
BODY IS one OF ABILITY
Pulp and Print Paper Report
Demonstrates IhicIcnol--En-
tirclN Independents


St Louis Mo. Sept President
William #. Taft IN speech at the
CoIiscum here tonight entered into
a discussion ar the tariff board. TAX
ing issue with those who characterize
the board as a mere pretext. that it
is n board of his hireliugs and clerks
and that il is absurd for him TO delay
congress I'm the enactment of that
which is its h.phcst uriyIoge-to wit:
revenge meaaurrs-untU he can se-
cure through am agency of his, in
formation as TO the wisdom of the
proposed bills
Mr.. Taft said In part:
"In order To secure an adoption Of
the Canadian reciprocity treaty l
called a spocial session to discharge
the promise | had made TO the Cana
dian authorities At this special ses-
sion the three tariff bills were passed
which vetoed, and | vetoed them
chiefly on the ground that no time
had been taken 10 investigate the ef-
feet Of the changes which were pro-
posed and that they ought to await
the coming i'm Of the report in De-
ccmbcr when we should have fun in
formation at least on the question Of
wool and woolcns and cotton manu-
features. There were other grounds
for withholding my approyal from
the bills. which are set forth in the
messages. but for the nrcsent do
not wish to consider them.
The Tariff Board has been re-
ierred to sometimes as a board of eX-
perts on the tariff This is hardly
correct description. l would be
impossible to secure "A board all the
members Of which had expert knowl-
edge upon all The subjects Of the
tariff, for the fourteen or fifteen
schedules are very broad in their
scope and include much of what is
manufactured or produced in the
world. Indeed, 1t is by no means
clear that 1t would be of advantage
to have in the board itself men who
are experts upon the making and sale
OF particular articles mentioned in
the tariff 1t Is far better to have in
'i.e poaIu men VINO are III the hapit
W n'"hins INV NesNsatioHs' VINO are III
,'' i'"p'' ~ aLcui"'I'ls cos's' VINO are
:" '''e "'"l' " u'se''lhB ahu ahaiS%-
I"s great 'o'''c'loi'S oi evidence ana
i'""''"s ,"e'' u iH'el'lBeht cohcIuS-
u'"'ll' u '"osc VINO lhlehu 10 use
'he'Ii
The board is board OF the high
est intelligence and ability, and we'll
qualified by their previous experience
to act as Investigators, analyzers of
evidence, and judges Of issues Of fact.
They are under instructions to draw
their conclusions without respect to
their effect and venture to say
that there IS no board in the country
less likely to be influenced by politi-
cal or other improper considerations
than the Tariff Board as 1t is now
constituted. Even the attacks made
upon it, prompted by the heat of po-
litlcal controversy and impatience at
my vetoes, can not turn it from a
judicial attitude toward all questions
that it is now considering.
1T is said with respect to the Tariff
Board that its investigations are not
to be relied upon. because It must Sc.
cure its information from interested
parties and that no information is
available to it that is not available
directly to the NVays and Means Com.
mittee and that the committee can
secure testimony of such people more
effectively than the Tariff Board
Such a statement fails entirely to
recognize the real character of the in
of the Tariff Board
"The best way to understand the |
peculiar character of the investiga-
tions of the Tariff Board is TO com |
pare their published report on pulp
and news-print paper either with the
statistical work of other government |
agencies regarding this Industry or
with the hearings before the Navs |
and Means Committee. 1t is shown |
that this investigation does not in any |
way duplicate the statistical work Of .
the other departments, but that its
scope is quite different, and yet the |
develops data essential /
to an understanding of industries
from a point OF view of the tariff.
THE report Of the board on the
paper and pulp industry was illumin-
atng 1t gave the average cost of
production, with all the elements;
showed how it differed between the
g., l