The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-03
Meat and Flour Not on the
Free List of Senate
Subcommittee
WISER TO LEVY
NORMAL DUTIES
Important Alteration Determined
Upon by Subcommittee-Oat
Meal Rate Not Definitely
Determined

Washington, June 2.-Meats and -four
will not go on the free list in the dem
ocratic tariff law If recommendation
of the Senate finance subcommittee in
charge of the agricultural schedule is
accepted. This important alteration of
the Underwood bill as 1t passed the
House, was determined upon today by
the subcommittee composed of sena-
tors Williams. Shively and Gore. 1t was
decided. in carrying out the determi-
, nation to perfect the Underwood bill
by equalizing raw materials and their
products. that 1t would be wiser to
levy nominal duties on meats and -four
products than to put livestock and
grain on the free list
In accordance with this decision the
subcommittee took from the free list
fresh meats-beef, mutton and pork
and made them dutiable at 10 per cent
ad yalorem. Wheat -four was restored
to the dutiable list at the specific rate
of As cents a barrel, with other wheat
products at 10 per cent ad valorem and
the Underwood duty on oats was re-
duced from 10 Gems per bushel to 8
cents per bushel with a compensatory
duty on oatmeals said to be approx
mately per cent ad valerem.
Not Determined
| This rate on oatmeal was not def
nitely determined, but 1t is assured that
| the recommendation will be to take oat-
meal from the free list. Cattle, sheep
and hogs will be left as they are in
the proposed bill. dutiable at 10 per
cent ad valorem and the Underwood
duty of 10 cents bushel on wheat
will stand.
+, These recommendations will be made
| TO the finance committee late this week
! or early next week, and the senators
| who propose the change believe it will
| have the approval of the majority
members and also of the democratic
| caucus.
| Soon after the passage of the Under
| wood bill by the House there were
| many protests against differentiating
| between raw materials and their prod
ucts and it was one of the first fea-
lures to be taken up with the Senate
leaders and President Wilson. Several
weeks ago the committee determined
other and few days ago President
| Wilson was consulted about the matter
| by Senator Simmons, chairman of the
finance committee, and Senator will
| ltams.
| Another development today was the
approval, without change. of the sugar
schedule as it passed the House; and
other schedules advanced to varying
stages of completion in the subcommit-
! tees. 1t also was announced by Senator
Shively that, In his opinion. the tariff
| bill as 1t goes to the Senate committee
| will be lower bill in the aggregate
than the Underwood bill
Protest Filed
| protest filed today by the American
| Live Stock association said In part:
The result of the free admission of
meats from other surplus countries
would he. first of ALL to discourage the
| live stock business and il the prices
were forced to the level of Argentina
beef or Australian mutton, the business
would be so Improbable that this
ccountry would soon cease to produce
It's own meat"
Armour. Swift & Morris have large
plants in Argentina, the protest as
serted, and handle 3s per cent of the
export trade of South America. Two
of these firms are building large plants
u
plant In Brisbane, Queensland. There
are three plants in Canada operated by
the same American packers.
The proposition that to place meat
on the free list would result in curbing
the so-called beef trust is preposter-
ous," the petition continued.
whatever control American pack
ers have over prices in this country
would be increased instead of lessened
by free meats.
'"rhe capacity of the United States
for the production of live stock has not
been reported. The present output could
probably be doubled Remunerative
prices will bring this about. Unprofita-
BILE prices will result in a decreased
production.
We are in favor of an equal duty
on all meat and livestock and that duty
should not be less than Is per cent ad
valorem In order to be fair and equita-
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