New-York tribune., 1911-12-17
From The Tribune Bureau.

Washington December 10
SECURED WOOL TARIFF.-The report
OF the Tariff Board, which Is being maze
the basis for the special message the fresl-
dent will send TO Congress about the mo
die Of next week. will make clear the eN-
pediency. perhaps even the necessity ol
revolutionizing the wool schedule, and VIII
manifest the accuracy OF the President >
assertion that that schedule is indefehsloie'
although II will show it to be so not pe-
cause Of the rates imposed. but because VI
the method Of imposing those rates. Ne"
cIassihcations and. above all, a new ne'"0u
OF calculating the rates are essentla' u :"
lust imposition OF any duty on WOOL a.
cording 10 the report Of the Tarin boaI H.
The all-important recommendation OF 'h7
board is that hereafter the tarln De III
posed on the secured content OF WOOL III
any importation. instead of on wool IN tne
grease and arbitrary multples thereof 10
understand this. Il is necessary 10 kno"
that the Payne law, as did the WOOL phi
which the President vetoed last session.
imposes a specific duty on WOOL IN tne
grease-that is before Il is Washed-dhu
that il further provides that II shall be as
surned that II takes three pounds of grease
wool TO make one Of secured. The Payne
law makes the duty on raw wool-that 49,
wool in the grease-l1 cents pound so
that the duty imposed on secured wool II
90 cents II is further assumed that II
takes four pounds of grease wool TO make
one pound Of woollen cloth. and. therefore.
a duty OF - cents a pound Is imposed on
such cloth The substitution OF method
OF determining the actual secured con-
tent OF any shipment-that is, the actual
amount OF secured wool which it contains
will correct the gravest and most lndefen-
sibe features OF the wool schedule.
PROVOCATIVE OF FRAUD.-It may ne
an exaggeraton 70 say that the present
schedule was designed TO promote fraud
and to secure far more protection than the
law appears to grant but it is a fact that
such has been it's effect in operation-a
rsct which has been effectively concealed
from Congress. so that even the Democrats
when I'm the last session they undertook 10
7 revise tho wool schedule had no knowledge
OF the inequalities and inlusuces OF the
present system and blindly followed II. The
present Law is based on the assumption
that the ,courings-that is. the waste con
sistins chiefly Of gresse-amount 70 80 -"
| per cent. whereas they actually average ~
per cent or less. OF course the farmer
1ho sells his wool In the grease, gets no
teneNt from this manipulation of the pur-
pose or the law but the manufacturer Is
enormously benefited Another important
fact shown by the report Of the Tarin
Board is that under the present LAW the
importation or certain woods which cannot
/ he grown in this country, and when III
manufacture arc used only in conjunction
With vools which are produced here, Is
now impractiCable. but that with a ma
terial modification Of the present classif1cs-
tiors such importation could be promoted.
with no injury 20 the American producers.
and I'm fact. with benefit 10 them, as II
. would increase the market for their prod
nets and would at tho same time benent
the consumer. who could thus obtain manu-
factured goods he must now forego unless
he buvs the imported article at exorbitant
prices Altogether. the report Of the Tariff
BOARD shows the necessity or completely
revising the wool schedule and shows as
conclusivelv that even the wool bill passed
nv the Democratic House ~ the special
session served In no way 10 remedy me
serious defects OF that schedule.
OPPOSITION EXPECTED.-Gt is expect
es that the report Of the Tariff Board and
the Presidents advice that It's recommen-
dations be carried into effect will be siren
uousIy opposed and that the country viii
be confronted by the extra ordinary spec
tacle Of a Democratic House, professedly
anxious 10 lower and equslize the duties,
and the American Protective Tariff League
the Official organization Of the extreme pro-
rectionlsts standing shoulder TO shoulder
against the recommendations OF the Presi-
dent. The Democrats have already indi-
Gated their determination not 70 adopt the
recommendations Of President Taft, because
they fear that II they do so he may gain
from their action such popular credit as
will initiate against Democratic success in
the national election. The report OF the
Tarin Board makes clear the injustice and
the impractica bility Of imposing ad valorem
duties on wool. and that will probably be
roade r,retsyt by the Democrats for re-