Omaha daily bee., 1912-03-30
new PAYNE TARIFF ON WOOL
Congressman Green Analyses Bill
Based on Commission Report.
SHOULD HELP THE CONSUMERS
Measure Compared with the Under
wood Committee Bill and Prob
able Effects of the Two
Made Plain. g.
CFrom a SIAN correspondent.

FEOm a StaII correspondent
WASHINGTON. March z.-tSpeclaI. y
After a careful comparative study Of the
Underwood and Payne wool bills, Con-
gresham Green OF the Council Bluffs
district has come to the conclusion that
tho Payne bill is entitled TO democratic
as well as republican support. and makes
the following analysis in support oil his
contention:
"A comparison Of the new republican
wool bill with the Underwood bill and
the Payne-Aldrich bill. which is now N
force, shows the usefulness Of the tariff
commission and the necessity Of con-
tinuing II. The bill makes sweeping re-
auctions all through schedule K, but I'M
like the Underwood bill still gives Amerl-
can industries a chance to survive, as its
rates are all based on the report Of the
tariff commission as to the difference in
cost of production at home and abroad.
THE new bill divides all wool into two
classes-clothing wool and carpet wool.
The tariff on the former is laid on its
secured contents at IS cents per pound
when imported raw and 10 cents secured.
This system does away with the Joker
called the sklrting clause, which was so
forcibly criticised by Senator DollIver in
his famous speech, and the inequalities
which result from the uneven shrinkage
Of raw wool The present rate is 50 cents
on secured wool, but by reason OF the
joker. little was imported secured. Woods
used for carpets, not being produced in
this country. are made practically free
or duty under the new bill.
THE Underwood bill levies an ad va
loren tariff Of 20 per cent upon all woods
and puts the duty on cloth at less than
the Wilson bill. which closed 50 many Of
our factories that 10000 pounds of our
home grown wool had to be exported In
one year. 1t Is obvious that IL there Is no
sufficient home market the farmer viii
suffer as much as II wool were free. The
democratic bill not only levies a 30 per
cent duty on carpet woods. but makes
the duties on carpets average higher than
the new republican bill.
''rhe average reductions in the new
bill are about 70 per cent. One OF the
striking features Of the bill Is the reduc-
tlons on law-priced goods. II this bill
becomes law, as II should, Il can no
longer be said that the poor man pays a
higher tariff on the cloth he uses than
the rich. The contrary will be true as IL
should be. Take for example dress goods
with wool face and cotton warp, costing
n I'D
about one-half cotton. The ad valoram
rate under the new bill will be 81
per cent. Under the present law IL
would be lS9Is per cent or more than
double. On cloth valued abroad at 81
per pound the ad valorem under the
new law would be II per cent. Under the
present law the duty would have been
% per cent. The same method is followed
with ready-made clothing. There are re-
auctions all through but the greatest
are where the poor man Is interested. The
Underwood bill makes fiat rate. which
will not only work out unevenly. but as
the report OF the tariff board shows no.
where equals the difference In cost OF
production at home and abroad.
Another Heavy Cut.
The heavy cut Is also made on wool
products that enter into the cheaper
cloths. The rate on tops Is practically
reduced one-half, so that the carded
wooden manufacturer should no longer
be at a disadvantage as compared with
the maker OF the more expensive WOOL
ems.
"The facts upon which the bill is based
have been worked out with painstaklng
accuracy by the tariff board. Nothing
has been accepted but that which was
verified by personal examination by the
experts.
UNLESS the mlddlemen absorb the re-
reductions oil kinds OF clothing and car
pets especially, will be much cheaper II
the new bill becomes a law. and there is
no reason why It should not. 1t Is be-
lieved that II will receive the support OF
all the republican members Of the house
unless some OF the ultra prptectionists
should vote against II. IL Mr.. Under
wood and his fellow democrats who have
been claiming that they wanted to tighten
the burdens Of the people really desire
to reduce the duties where 1t would be Of
the most benefit. the opportunity is now
presented"