The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-08-25

the Importance OF including in thu
American cost q manufacturers or
producers profit reasonable, accord
ing to the American standard.
"The business Of the country rests
on a protective tariff basis. The pub
lie keenly realized that disturbance
of business by change In the tarin
and a threat of injury to the indus
tries of the country ought to be
avoided and that nothing could help
so much to minimize the fear OF de-
structive changes as the known ex-
istence Of a reliable source OF In
formation for legislative action.
"The deep interest in the matter
of an impartial entertainment OF
facts before any new revision was
evidenced by an effort to pass tarfn
commission bill in the short session
of the sixty-first congress in which
many of both parties united.
Substitute Tariff Board.
ION the failure of this bill. took
such steps as I could to make the
tariff board / had already appointed
a satisfactory substitute for the pro-
passed tariff commission.
"The board took some months to
investigate the methods pursued in
other countries in procuring infor-
nation in tariff subjects and to or
ganize it's force. In October, 1910,
it's work of investigating begun with
force of forty that has now in
creased to eighty. In addition to the
glossary which is nearly completed
and other work connected with fur
nishing information in connection
with the enforcement of the maxi
mum and minimum clause of the
Payne tariff act and in respect to the
Canadian reciprocity measure, it's
attention has been especially attract
ed to comparative cost under sched-
ule K (wool and woolens), under
schedule M (paper and pulp, and
under schedule I Cotton manufac-
tures).
''The report on schedule M (pulp
and paper) has already been sent to
congress and the reports on wool
and cotton will be submitted to con-
gress in December. I have also d.
rected an investigation into the metal
and leather schedules, the results OF
which, it is hoped, can be submitted
to congress at its first regular ses-
sion in time to prevent their con-
sideration.
The message then tells of calling
the extra session, the action leading
up to the formation of the tariff
commission, etc.
The rates proposed in the various
measures introduced in congress are
cited, the message continuing:
Blending OF Policies.
without any Investigation of
which the details are available, an
avowed tariff-for-revenue and anti
protection bill is by compromise
blended with professed protection
bill. Rates between those of the
two bills are adopted and published.
except that, in some important in
stances, rates are fixed in the COM
promise at figure higher and in
others at a figure lower than were
originally fixed In either house. The
principle followed in adjusting the
amendments of existing laws is,
therefore, not clear and the effect
of the bill is most uncertain.
"The Wilson tariff act of 1894,
while giving the manufacturer free
wool, as does the present bill, which
at the same time taxes the manufac-
turers' raw material at 20 per cent;
thus the protection Afforded to man
ufacturers under the Wilson bill
was considerably higher than under
the present bill.
During the years in which the
Wilson bill was in force the wooden
manufacturers suffered. Many mills
were compelled to shut down. These
were abnormal years and it is not
necessary to attribute the hard times
solely to the tariff act of 1894.
"But it was at least an addition to
other factors operating to injure the
wooden business. 1t is the only ex-
perience we have had for a genera
ton of a radical revision Of this
schedule, and without exaggerating
its Importance, one pledged to a
moderate protection policy may we'll
hesitate before giving approval with
out full information to explain which
makes a more radical reduction in
the protection actually afforded To
manufacturers Of wool than did the
Wilson act.
Nor does this Hesitation arise
only for fear of injury to manufac-
turers. Unless manufacturers are
able to continue their business and
buy wool from domestic wool grow
ers, the latter will have no benefit
from the tariff that is supposed to
protect them, because they will have
to sell in competition with foreign
woods or send their sheen IA +ho