The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-15
HOUSE WILL CAUCUS
 ON STEEL SCHEDULE.
Ways and Means Commit
 tee Nearly Ready
START PROBE TODAY
Senate Committee on Interstate Com merce Expects to Complete Series of Hearings This Week-Sen-
 ators Urged to Be Present

Washington, January 14.-A caucus or |khe House democrats on the iron and steel |tariff schedule is likely before the end |of this week. The ways and means com bnittee, as soon as the already completed pension appropriation bill is passed py the House, will be ready to report the bron and steel schedule revision to the |caucus for approval. particularly with R. view to giving steel the right of way bn the tariff proceedings in the House. Even the chemical schedule bids fair to precede the wool tariff revision, for |wool has been switched to let steel revi- Eion proceed This is a virtual acceptance |of the challenge of William J. Bryan, kwho, during the extra session. ascribed lo Democratic Leader Underwood personal motives in putting other revisions ahead pf steel.
 Probes. Start Today A threefold probe into gigantic 'trusts' Twill be started by the House committee pn rules tomorrow. when the first of a eeries of Hearings lasting several days |will cover the activities of the money trust" the shipping combine" and the Harvester company. All three are to be considered together with. Fespect to the rules committees con 6ideration of the. question of reporting resolutions looking to the thorough con |gressional Investigation of these trusts |The financial interests are largely in terested in the matter. Attorney General Secretary of Commerce and Labor Nagel and Samuel Untermeyer of |New York have been asked to appear before the committee tomorrow for ex- hmination regarding the alleged shipping transoceanic traffic.
 Most of the democrats and several of Inc republicans on the committee have expressed themselves in favor of Eweeping investigation of the financial |control of American industrial and com mercial affairs.
 Meantime the Senate committee on in- kerstate commerce expects to wind up this |week it's series of hearings on trust prob bems without any certainty as to the re- porting of bill on the project.
 Panama Canal Control All this week Panama canal control |and management win figure in hearings by the House committee on interstate |snd foreign commerce which is to report legislation at this session, fixing the tolls and regulations. Captain Charles A. Me |Alister, chief engineer of the revenue cutter service tomorrow will appear to discuss regulations for the measurement |of tonnage of ships.
 Absent senators have been urged by telegraph to be here by Wednesday when Senator Gallagher will ask the, Senate to vote on the choice of a president pro tenn of the Senate. There are no indica- tions that the Senate is any readier to |settle this question than when the un- successful effort was made at the extra session, the obstacle still being the lack of agreement between. the regular and republicans.
 The arbitration treaties between Great Britain and France and the United States Twill come up In the near future. A move hnent Is on foot to have them considered hn executive session so as to head off protracted debate and oratory.
 Senator Lorimer of Illinois will resume his defense tomorrow before the Senate committee that is Investigating his cleo tion. He probably will be on the wit hess stand most of the week.
 The House committee on "steel trust' affairs will continue it's hearing tomorrow and the House committee inquiring into the sugar trust' will bear two wit kesses from California, one from Ohio hnd an independent sugar refiner from Ohio who recently returned from Europe where he inspected sugar factories. Senator Borah of Idaho has planned to press his bill for the creation of child I abor bureau. Friends of the measure claim they can muster a two-thirds vote lof the Senate. Mir. Borah will make a speech on the public land laws Wednes- day.