The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-10-05
OFFICIALS STUDY
new TARIFF Law
Treasury Heads Going Over
Provisions Of the Under
wood Act.
OLD RATES in EFFECT
Customs Collectors Waiting to Re-
ceive COpies-Secretary Bryan
Praises the Bill.

ne ulSl step toward the actual admin
istration of the Underwood Simmons
tariff law WAS taken by Assistant Score
tary of the Treasury Hamlin yesterday
when he forwarded 10 the Gurty-twO col
lCctors Of customs certified copies uf The
ncw measure.
The law has not yet been indcxcd, 81
II Will not be practicable for all Of tho
lew rates to he put into effect on Monday,
10y which time II Is expected these copies
will be in the hands Of the collectors.
The index is in course of preparation and
will 20 forward to the customs officials
some time next week.
Pending the receipt of these indexes, the
Treasury Department has ISSUED Or.l'rs
that the rates of the Payne-Aldrich law
shall be levied. This, of course, does not
mean that these rates will be collected
finally. but merely assessed upon goods
offered for entry into the United States.
These assessments will stand ready
for amendment before liquidation.
After the indeNed copies of the new
law are received by the collectors
next week these will be changed to
correspond to the new rates. and ac-
tual liqUidations will be made on this
basis.
Many Differences Exist.
There are many provisions as to the
administration Of the Underwood Sim
mons law which differ from those of
the Payne Aldrich act. These changes
cannot be enforced until departmental
regulations embOdying them can be
promulgated al the Treasury Depart
ment and forwarded to the various ports
OF entry. The PRONUNCIATION OF these
regulations will occupy the attention
Of Assistant Secretary Hamlin and his
subOrdinates for several weeks. So it
is that all the provisions of the new
law will not become effective for more
than month. in all probability.
Secretary Hamlin received num-
Der of telegrap hiC queries from Off
cials at the port Of New York and
other customs ports throughout the
United States yesterday as to specific
rates which they were called upon to
,evy These were answered AS quickly
as possible. 1t was stated. however,
that none of them involved important
interpretations Of the new law.
The Commissioner Of Internal Revenue
put in the day studying the income tax
provisions He has decided that there
IS no need for haste by hin. in prOmul-
eating the new regulations for the col
cctors OF Internal revenue as the law
not require the Withholding OF in
es at their course to begin until No
Der !.
is expected that the work Of collect
the income tax will be supervised by
T. Spear, who organized and now has
rye Of the corporation tax division
the Bureau Of Internal Revenue. The
anization of the income taA division
/ begin next week. About forty ad-
ional employees will be required for
clerical work at the Treasury De
rtment. and some zoo more field
ents must be appointed. The field
ants are to he appointed with the ar-
wal OF the Secretary Of the Treasury
hOut regard to the civil service rules.
clerks at the department are TO he
the classified service. however.
BRYAN Lands Party.
ecretary of state BRYAN gave out this
-.-tement yesterday relative to the new
tariff law:
The tariff law that went into effect
last night is the best tariff measure
since the war. and all who have taken
part in preparing and passing it are en-
titled to great credit.
1T is a better hill than We were able
to pass twenty wears ago and I rejoice
that political conditions are such to
make the present law possible. The VIII
son bill was compelled to carry a burden
that will not fall on the present law. and
ought not to have fallen upon the other
law. The Wilson law provided for an
income tax which was held to be unCOn- |
StitutiOnal by a divided vote. the ma iOr-
ity Of one having been secured by a
change OF opinion on the part of one
judge between two hearings Of the case. !
The notification Of the income tax
portion OF the Wilson law reduced the
governments income until it would not
meet the expenses OF the government, ,
Ia,