Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-03-27
Minority BiIllo Reduce Duties
Present Rate About Forty
Per Cent
Paynes' Bill Was Signed By
All Members Ways and
X: Means Committee l!l
Chairman Underwood Gave
Complete Summary Com.
mittee'si Conclusion
BY Associated Press.

| "kAoAAAA$d4 O4N, MoANA ~ l Aess
the tariff board in its report to Con-
gress on the wool schedule proceeded
upon an entirely erroneous theory and
/. that it's report was "untenable" is
the conclusion Of the Democratic mem
bers of the Ways and Means commit
tee of the house as set forth in a
report prepared by Rep. Underwood,
chairman Of the committee, in con.
nection with the re-introduction Of
the wool bill placing 20 per cent
advalorem duty on raw wool.
\ This bill, which after slight revis-
ion in conference last summer, was
vetoed by President Taft, who gave
then as his principal reason for exer-
else Of: the veto power that the Tariff
Board had made no report on the sub
ject. Last December the board re-
ported and the democratic members
of the ways and means committee,
,, after an analysis of this report, re-
introduced, the, old bill claiming that
there was nothing in that report to
Justify any change. .,..o..;;,',
Summarizes coesmittee's Findings.
| =. Summarizing the conclusion Of the
! committee. Chairman Underwood
AZ clsfefnf III and patnstaktng. analysis
OF. the wool report OF the tariff board
dictates conclusions as follows:
I I "rhe theory Of applying tariff dut-'
les according to the difference In the
cost of. production in this. and in
!, foreign countries, upon which the
board has projected and prepared its
report, is entirely erroneous and un-
tenable. Furthermore, II this theory
could be made systematically and
carefully applied, it would not have
afforded trustworthy results for guild
ance in preparing tariff legislation.
"The boards report Is fragmentary
and incomplete, and rests on an incor-
rect statistical basis. Hence it has
no claims to confidence for the re-
suits set forth therein, even should
the reliability of the theory Of the
cost Of production be conceded.
"Those persons who are willing to
overlook the lack Of theoretical sound
ness and of statistical accuracy, will
find the data Of the report too frag-
mentary and incomplete to admit Of
conclusions with reference to rates Of
tariff duty. Even under the most fav-
orable Interpretation Of the the report
conclusions as to, duties can be
reached for only a few paragraphs of
the wool schedule, and for these para
graphs it is not possible to formulate
definite conclusions, because the fig-
ures vary widely, and seriously lack
uniformity and compatibility. 50
much is this the case that justifica-
tion is apparently afforded in the re-
port for rates that are in conflict with
one another. 1t is thus seen that the
report leaves the question Of the.
tariff duties on wool as much unsolved
as before the tariff board was formed.
!, $50 far as conclusion can be drawn
from the boards report it furnishes
nothing to justify any change in the
rates proposed in the present bill.
In making the computations from
which have resulted the rates as JUS
titled by the tariff boards data, the
most expensive and difficult condi-
tions indicated by the data as attend.
ing production have been employed
with view to being more than just
in the conclusions. The necessity Of
to eQualiZe the difference
in the cost of production beyond the
rates carried by this bill exists in but
few instances, and these are In all
the result of high costs
which have been presented by the
board and used in the computations.
I'm preparing this bill of last ses- \
sion and H. r. 22195 of this session
no Intentional provision was made fDr
protection, the endeavor being to 1e \
duce and adjust rates with view Of Il
the largest amount Of rev /
enue consistent with the proper con-
sfderation of the consumer. It 10 be-
lived that the rates of this bill ap-
proach very closely, at least, to the
best revenue producing points, and q
that rates should, If enacted into law, 1:
permit such quantities Of imports %
will aftectively regulate domestic
prices. Such competition would be I
an important service to the people,
as it would encourage increased con
sumption and production by R1A1nk
more nearly normal the condiue o.
supply and demand. The report or N
the tariff board, so far aS It ADMITS Y