Evening star., 1911-08-18

I Commission Association made up of rep
| resentatives of substantially all the COM
| mercial bodies of the country. for the
purpose of securing the establishment OF
| permanent tariff commission. applied
to me for an opportunity TO investigate
the methods pursued by the tariff board:
This was glad to grant. and a very fuii
| report of the competent committee OF
| that association concluded as follows:
In conclusion. our committee mas
| that the tariff board Is composed OF
| able. impartial and earnest men. who
are devoting their energies unreserv-
| edly to the work before them; that the
| staff has been carefully selected Tor the
work In view. is efficiently organized
| and directed, and includes a number
| of exceptionally competent technicai
experts; that the work OF the
| board. vast and intricate in detail, Is
already highly orgnized. well sys..
temtized and running smoothly: ana
| that Congress and the people can now
| await the completion of that work
with entire confidence that II is pro-
| crossing as rapidly as consistent with
proper thoroughness. and that 1t Will
| amply justify all of the time and ex-
pense which it entails. We believe
| that the value Of the work when com
pleted will be SO great and so evident
as to leave remaining no single doubt
| as to the expediency Of maintaining 1t
! as a permanent function of the gov
ernment for the benefit of the people.
l have thus reviewed the history of the
movement for the establishment of a
| tariff commission or board in order to
| show that the real advance and reform in
| tariff making are to be found in the ac-
| Quiring OF accurate and impartial infor-
nation as to the effect of the proposed
tariff changes under each schedule before
| they are adopted. and further to show
| that il delay in the passage of a bill to
amend schedule * can be had until De-
| cember Congress will then be in posses
sion of a full and satisfactory report
upon the whole schedule.
| This brings me to the consideration OF
the terms of the bin presented for my APP
| proval. Schedule X is the most c0mpli-
Gated schedule in the tariff 1t classifies
| raw wool with different rates for differ
| ent classes; IL affords the manufacturer
what is called compensatory duty to
make up for the increased price of the
raw material he has to use due TO the
| rate on raw wool. and for the shrinkage
| that takes place In securing the wool for
| manufacture: and IL gives him, i'm addi-
| ton. an ad valorem duty to protect him
against foreign competition with cheap
labor. The usages which prevail in scour-
| ing the wool, In making the yarn. and I'm
/ the manufacture of cloth present COM
pHcation of technical detail that prevents
| any one not especially informed concern
| ing wool growing and manufacture from
| understanding the schedule and the ef-
| feet Of changes in the various rates and
| percentages.
Admits Some Rates Too High.
| If there ever was schedule that need
| ed consideration and investigation and
elaborate explanation by experts before
| its amendment, 1t is schedule X. There
is widespread belief that many rates
in the present schedule are too high and
are in excess of any needed protection
j manufacturer. L
| share this belief and have so stated In
| several public addresses. But l have no
! sufficient data upon which l can judge
how schedule * ought to be amended or
how its rates ought to be reduced. in
order that the new bill shall furnish the
proper measure of protection and no
| more. Nor have l sources of information
! which satisfy me that the bill presented
to me for signature will accomplish this
result. The parliamentary history of the
bill is not reassuring upon this point.
| 1t was introduced and passed i'm the
House as providing tariff for revenue
| only and with the avowed purpose OF de-
|parting from a protective-tariff policy.
The rate or duty on raw woods Of all
classes was changed from a specific duty
| of IL cents pound to 20 per cent ad
\ tations for the last two years this is a
| reduction from 47.24 per cent to 20 per
cent Rates on cloths were reduced in
| the bill from the present average duty of
| S.27 per cent to 40 per cent and on wear
| ing apparel from 81. per cent 10 40 per
cent The bill was defeated in the Senate,
| and so was substitute introduced as a
protection measure The proposed sub
stitute fixed the duty on raw wool, first
class, at 40 per cent and on a second
class of carpet woods at 10 per cent, and
| on cloths at % per cent, and on wearing
| apparel at the same rate.
| On reconsideration. a compromise meas
| ure was passed by the Senate. which
| uoS hptW ho
| and the Senate substitute bill. and I'm
which the rate on first-class wool was
| fixed at 50 per cent, on carpet woods 10
per cent. and on cloth and wearing ap-
parel 55 per cent. In conference between
| the two houses the rate on all classes of
raw wool was fixed at 20 per cent, this
being an Increase on carpet woods of 3
per cent as fixed in the House bill and
| Of 19 per cent as fixed in the Senate bill.
| The conference rate on cloths and wear
| ing apparel was fixed at - per cent No
| evidence as to the cost of production here
or abroad was published. and the COM
promise amendment in the Senate was
adopted without reference to- or consid-
| GRAFTON by, a committee.
l do not mention these facts to criticise
the method of preparation Of the bill, but
must needs refer to them to show that
the congressional proceedings make avail
able for me no accurate or scientifically
acquired information which enables me
to determine that the. bill supplies the
measure Oh pFOteCtlOns PROMISED In the
platform on which / was elected.
/ Effect of Bill Uncertain.
i Without any investigation of which the
details are available, AN ayowed tariff
lfor-revenue and antiprotection bill is by
compromise blended with a professed pro-
,tection bill. Rates between those of the
two bills are adopted and passed, except
that in some important instances rates
are fixed in the compromise at figure
higher. and in others at figure lower
than were originally fixed in either house
The principle followed In adjusting the
amendments OF existing law is, therefore.
most uncertain.
The Wilson tariff act of 1884. while Civ
ing the manufacturer free WOOL provided
as high duties on leading manufactures
| of wool does the present bill, which
| at the same time taxes the manufac-