The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-06-21
JOKER IN SUGAR SCHEDULE,
WOULD HAVE OPERATED AS
DUTY OF TWO CENTS PER
POUND,
Paragraph Discovered and Correction
Made--ErrOr was Due to Change
From Former Tariff Schedule
Committee Completes All SEIZED.
ules and Issued Call for Caucus.

ules and Issued Call for Caucus.
Washington, June 1S.-An eleventh
hour discovery that the sugar sched-
ule of the Underwood tariff bill had
q Joker" in which would have
operated to make all refined sugar
dutiable at 2 cents pound and nullify
the provision for free sugar after
three years resulted today in an
amendment by majority members OF
the senate finance committee.
Elimination in the Underwood bill
of the Dutch standard of color, which
had been in tariff bills for many years
1t was discovered, made applicable to
all refined sugars a paragraph from
the Payne-Aldrich bill relating TO
confectionery, which included the fol-
lowing words: Sugar after being
refined, when tnctured, colored or
in any way adulterated, 2 cents per
pound"
1t was suggested that the bill as il
stood could be so construed as to
apply to all refined sugar which is
colored with ultra-marine.
The Dutch standard. which Was
taken out in the house bill, stipulated
specifically as to the coloring of re-
fined sugar Members of the finance
committee ordered an Investigation
and President Wilson, when his at
tention was called to it, agreed that
1t should be looked into thoroupbIv
Late today the majority members
or the committee received expert re-
ports that the provision might operate
as a joker and they promptly struck
out the language as it referred to re-
fined sugar and left it applicable only
to confectioneries.
An important amendment to the
Dill agreed upon by the committee
would repeal an act passed in 1890 ex-
empting brandies used by manufac-
turers to fortify grape wines from
the general internal revenue tax. This
amendment, it is estimated, would
Increase the government revenue bv
S7,OOO,000 a year.
The committee tonight had COM
pleted all the schedules and Senator
Kern. the majority leader, issued q
call for a senatorial Democratic caucus
next Friday.
Inc caucus can take up the rates
while the committee is completing
work on the income tax and adminis-
trative features.
One of the important matters SET
l'eo To-Day was that countervailing
duty should not be put on live stock
and meats which are to go on the free
list unrestricted. Wheat and flour will
go on the free list, but with a coun-
tervailing duty.
Rates on leather gloves were in
creased slightly over the Underwood
rates. 1t also developed that the com.
mittee had increased the proposed
rates on pig lead and smelter zinc.
concerning which some Democrats
made fight in the house caucus.
Senator salisbury Of Delaware to-
day introduced an amendment 70 the
bIll which would raise the limit on
personal purchases to be brought in
iree by travellers from 500 to $3.50.
Senator Works introduced an
amendment providing Tor a tariff
board OF nine members, not more
than four to be Of the same political
party and that no member should be
member or an cx-member Of .on-
gress
The board would be directed to pro-
vide duties to protect American goods
against injurious oppressive or un-
just foreign competitions"
After the night session Chairman
Simmons announced that the admin
istrative features of the bill would be
revised in general way to make them
conform to n revenue basis tariff
1t developed tonight that the full
committee was certain to approve the
action of the subcommittee in strik-
ing out the house provision for
per cent discount on imports brought
| in American vessels.