The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-26
THE TARIFF DEBATE WILL BEGIN TODAY Underwood Reports Steel
 Bill Favorably TO BE AMENDMENTS Republicans Will Offer No Substitute for Democratic Bill-Wool Sched-
 ule Almost Ready for Caucus.
 Report Other Schedules
TO BE AMENDMENTS

Washington, January 25.-The tariff re- vision debate of the Sixty-second Congress will begin tomorrow in the House "hen Representative A. Mitchell Palmer or Pennsvlvania will open tlfe argument in favor of the steel and iron schedule re- ported today by Chairman Underwood of the ways and means committee.
 The attitude of the republicans toward the democratic revision programme was indicated at today's meeting of the com n1itte when Representative Paine moved that consideration of the iron and steel schedule be deferred until a report had been received from the tariff board. This was lost by strict party vote. The re- publican members indicated that there would be no republican substitute for lhe democratic bill, but long string ot amendmnets would be offered.
 Wool Schedule Nearly Complete
 That the democrats have practically eompleted the wool schedule was dis closed when Representative Paine moved that schedule K, as drawn by MT. Under wood and his colleagues. be redrafted to iconform with the report of the tariff board submitted in December. This motion was lost also by straight party vote.
 Senator Shoot is preparing a bill along the lines Of the tariff board report
 Following the passage of the steel bill, the ways and means committee will in- troduce the chemical and the sugar schedules. Both are nearly ready for a democratic caucus. The cotton schedule will be taken up next. Chairman Under- wood estimates these will be all that can be handled at this session but if there is time for more the agriculture schedule will be considered.
 Both majority and minority reports were filed in the House today with the steel bill.
 Does Not Need Protection
 A survey of the iron and steel industry, says the majority report filed with the bill, showed convincingly that it has reached g position of such strengthened independ- enee that the industry does not need the helping hand of the government to stanl in competition with foreign countries.
 .'The committee feels warranted in sup Toftng uistm, tivels Feiiae pasis.' says the report.
 The report declares revenue rates shopfa be made low enough to permit potential competition from imports for the sake of natural and proper regulation of do- nestle prices and concludes:
 Tt Is believed the rates provided for in this pill are competitive and, if en- acted, would effect 8 substantial econo- my to the people greatly disproportionate ia it's advantages to the small apparent loss of revenue.
 Republican Attitude
 The seven republican members of the committee, in their report, declared the steel schedule should not he revised with out a report from the tariff board, and that the bill was framed without hearings and was in no way justified "by the fullest hearings given three years ago."
 The minority assailed the idea that the schedule relates almost exclusively to goods manufactured by the United States Steel corporation.
 "It is well known says the report 'that this corporation can produce iron and steel articles more cheaply than any ether of the numerous independent com panies, but it does not produce even 50 per cent of the iron and steel products of the country