Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-04
The TARIFF BOARD.
V-FORMER TARIFF COMMISSIONS.
By Frederic J.. Haskin.

during the war under the evident necessity
at the time Of stimulating to it's utmost ex-
tent all domestic production-might be
adapted, through reduction, to the present
condition OF peace. requiring no such ex-
traordnary stimulus and in the American
manufacturing industries. espec tally those
which had been long established 1t would
seem that the improvements in machinery
and processes made within the last
twenty years. and the high scale of
productiveness which had become a char
a. terlstfc of their establishments, would
permit our manufacturers to compete
with their foreign rivals under substan-
tial reduction from existing duties"
The conflicting interests of the coun-
try were revealed in the inquiries of the
tarln commission. The wool manufacture
ers wanted protection on woolens and also
wanted free wool and dye stuffs: the
iron manufacturers desired a tariff on
manufactured products. but wanted free
iron ore. The manufacturers Of wire
wanted a reduction on wire rods, such
rod manufacturers wanted higher duty.
The soap manufacturers desired to have
caustic soda on the free list, but soap
on the dutiable list The tariff commits
sion sought to satisfy all reasonable de-
mands OF all sides, and most of it's rec
concentrations eventually were adopted
Those which pertained to the simplifca-
ton Of the law were adopted with only
slight changes.
The bill reported by the commission
contained. not including the free list,
6S1 articles and classifications. Less
than twenty-five articles. mainly the
Gotten and WOODEN goods and the iron
and steel schedules, were matters of
contention. The rates on 400 Of the
631 articles mentioned in the tariff
recommended by the commissioners
were adopted, and between so and so
more articles were given substantially
the rates recommended no
changes. SO were fixed at lower rates
than those proposed by the tariff com
mission and As at higher rates.
The tariff commission of 1882 had a
comparatively short time in which to
do it's work. It was re-
The Law quired to make its re-
simped a part to c so tss, ii in h ns
approximately only six months in
which to make it's Investigations and
part of Its recommendations. The fact
that the tariff classifications made by
it by way of simplifying the law have
continued to the present time is taken
by many as showing the value Of
tariff commission. It is interesting to
know in this connection that one of
the lines Of work mapped out by Mr..
Taft has been that of still further sim
plifying the tariff laws.
Those who did not accept the con-
illusions of the tariff commission in
1882 were inclined to criticise the per-
sonnet of the commission. They as
serted that four of them were bene-
ficiaries of the tariff and that all of
the others were protectionists. The
democrats in Congress refused to sup
port the work of the tariff commission,
just as they had refused to vote for it's
establishment.
1t will be seen from the foregoing
that wherever there has been an inves-
tigation Of the tariff question by any
sort Of a commission under the author
ity OF Congress 1t has been followed by
a report favoring reductions. From
what has been disclosed in the recent
past it appears that the work of the
present tariff board will be no ex-
ception to the rule. 1t is claimed by
democrats that the tariff rates existing
today are even higher than those
which the tariff coard of 1882 declared
ought to be reduced. The conclusions
Of the present tariff board will be
acted upon by a House of Representa-
tives hostile to the principle of pro-
lection. In this 1t will probably not
meet as favorable a reception as did
the report OF the tariff commission of
1882.