Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-07
C0NGRESSMEN
NOW ACTIVE IN
TARIFF MAKING
Ways and Means Commit
tee Begins Tariff Making
Today Looking Toward
Revision Promised.

Washington, D. c.. Jan. 6.-Demo-
cratic revision of the tariff actually
got under way today when the house
ways and means committee began
hearings which will be the basis of the
new tariff bill of the new congress, to
repeal the Payne-Aldrich law.
The hearings were on schedule IS, y
the chemical schedule. The COMMITTEES
plans to go down through the list, tax.
ing a new schedule every other day
until all have been covered.
Expect Plan by March Is.
With the full membership of the
committee sitting in the big hall in the
house office building the first hearing
Of months long series, looking to
the preparation of law to carry out
the democratic party's pledges of an
immediate downward revision" and
tariff for revenue only" was begun.
Most of the democratic majority Of
the present ways and means commit
tee will 20 into the next congress,
which Is to convene in extra session,
probably between March IS and early
April. When the tariff hearings are
ended, democrats of the committee
will devote themselves in daily
executive session to the formulation
of the tentative tariff legislation which
they hope to have ready by March Is
If not earlier. .r.. @1
The concrete result of their delibera-
tions, the new tariff rates from acids
to zinc, the expansion of the free list,
and so on, will be formally passed
upon at a caucus Of the representa-
tives of the new house to be called
soon after the opening Of the extra
session. This caucus will determine
whether the new tariff legislation
shall be in the form of single meas
ure or in separate bills. schedule by
schedule, along the lines of the tariff
procedure Of the last session, when
chemical, wool. cotton, iron and steel
and free list bills went through both
houses but met presidential veto.
To Avoid Log Rolling.
Chairman Underwood of the ways
and means committee and his asso-
ciates are inclined to favor the same
course as that of last session BY that
procedure, it is urged by its advocates.
"log rolling" or trading on rates on
various articles, could be avoided.
The chemical schedule is one OF the
three or four that command the great
est interest. Democratic committee
men claim revision along the lines en-
bodied in the chemical bill of last year
would save American consumers ST.
100000 by reducing the price of all
chemicals and at the same time in
creas1ng the revenue to the govern
ment. Lap ...r-: .
" @ Thinks Committee Unfit 49,.
The first witness today was Henry
Howard of New York. representing the
Manufacturing Chemists association
He contended that the committee
should delegate the whole question of
the chemical schedule to a sub-commit-
tee for expert investigation Mr.
Howard insisted that the association
felt very strongly that no body Of the
size OF the ways and means committee
could as whole conduct an investiga-
ton so essentially technical. He
favored a non-partisan committee or
commission.
"The changes in classification in the
chemical schedule" he said, "are large
ly fundamental and the rate is distinct
ly illogical, as the relation OF raw ma
terials to finished products is per-
sistently ignored, the returns between
the different products in many in
stances apparently is misunderstood,
and there are many other errors. The
most radical increase in rates of raw
materials imposes hardships that
would, II followed through other
schedules, inevitably bring disaster to
many industries with consequent hard
ship to the labor employment in those
industries,