Omaha daily bee., 1911-12-21
REDUCTIONS ARE RECOMMENDED
Rates on Many Glasses of Woods and
Woolens Are Prohibitory.
SOME HIGH GRADES EXCLUDED
These Should Be Used Instead of the
Cheaper Substitutes Admitted.
REPORT HAS ROUGH SAILING
Democrats Hear it I'm silence and
an Effort is Made 20 Refer it
TO Committee without
Printing.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 20--The tariff
boards report OF its investigation OF the
wool Industry struck rough water as soon
as II reached the democratic house today.
At the conclusion OF the reading OF the
presidents message, which was greeted
with applause by republicans and silence
by tho democrats, an attempt was made
TO have the report referred to the ways
and means committee without printing.
Both the message and the report finally
were left on the speakers table until
tomorrow.
The report shows that the existing du-
! ties on many classes OF wool and wool
| manufactures are prohibltory and greatly
| In excess OF the difference In the cost oA
production here and abroad. The duties
are SO arranged as to keep out OF tho
United states entirely woods OF finer quail
tiles which IL imported might be used TO
dsplace the cheap substitutes now EN-
ployed.
President Taft calls attention to these
points and urges that revision OF tho
schedule be proceeded with at once.
| He characterizes the report of the
tariff OF the board as the most complete
and exhaustive statement OF difficult
and complicated subject ever presented
to a legislative body. He declares It
monument to the thoroughness, industry,
lmpartiallty and accuracy Of the men en-
gagged In It's making. He also dwells
with emphasis upon the fact that the re-
| port Is a unanimous one and asserts the
belief that II will convince all OF the wis.
dom OF making the tariff board perma.
nent.
Neither the president nor the board
proposes definite rates of duty. Mr.. Tafe
holding that the function of the board
merely is to present findings OF fact on
which rates OF duty may be fairly deter
mined In the light OF adequate knowledge
and in accord with the economic policy
to be followed. President Taft recom-
mends that the proposed revision adhere
to a policy OF protection based upon tho
differences In cost Of production at homo
and abroad.
| Message of President.--..a 81.
IN his message, after rebsFring briefly
to the creation Of the tariff board, the
president says:
I'm my message OF August II. 1911, ac-
companylng the veto OF the wool bill,
said that. in my Judgment. schedule X
should be revised and the rates reduced.
My veto was based on the ground that.
since the tariff board would make in De-
cember a detailed report on wool and
wool manufactures with special reference
to the relation OF the existing rates of du-
ties to relative costs here and abroad,
public policy and a fair regard to the in-
terests OF the producers and the manu-
facturers on the one hand and OF the con-
sumers on the other. demanded that leg
lslatlon should not be hastily enacted in
the absence of such information; that 1
of adequate knowledge OF the facts to de-
termine whether or not the proposed act
was In accordance with my pledge to
support a fair and reasonable protective
policy: that such legislation might prove
only temporary and lnflict upon great
industry the evils OF continued uncer-
tainty.
II now herewith submit a report OF the
tariff board on schedule X. The board Is
unanimous In it's findings. on the basis
OF these findings / now recommend that
congress proceed TO a consideration OF
this schedule with a view to It's revision
and a general reduction OF It's rates.
Basis of Assessment WrOns.
''The report shows that the present
method OF assessing the duty on raw
wool-that is. by a specific rate on the
grease pound q. e) acknowledgements
to exclude woods OF high shrinkage IN
securing. but fine quality, from the Amer
lean market. and thereby lessons the
range OF woOls avauable to the domestic
manufacture; that the duty on secured
wool of 80 cents per pound is prohibitory
and operates to exclude the importation
OF clean. low priced foreign woOls OF In
ferior grades, which are nevertheless val
liable material for manufacturing, and
which cannot be imported in the greass
because OF their heavy shinkage. Such
: woods, II imported, might be used to dis
/, place the cheap substitutes now In use
"To make the preceding paragraph
little palmer, take the instance OF hun
dred pounds OF first-olass wool, imported
y under the present duty. which is II cent?
pound. That would make the duty OF
. the hundred pounds 81. The merehanta
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