The Washington herald., 1913-01-05
TARIFF HEARINGS
BEGIN TOMORROW
Every Phase Of Question from
Agate to Zinc"t to Be
Discussed.
MERCHANTS TO HAS SAY
Ways and Means Committee to Give
Two Days for Arguments on
Each Schedule.
MERCHANTS TO HAS SAl

Hearings at which every phase Of the
tariff schedule, from agate to zinc" will
be discussed by Representatives OF the
business interests OF the country Will be-
gin before the House Ways and Means
Committee tomorrow. They will con-
tinue during the month, and, judging from
the large number of requests from busi-
ness men who wish to be heard, II Is
believed the committee will either have
to hold night sessions or extend Its
hearings into February.
The Ways and Means Committee has
refused to give out the names Of pros
pective witnesses, and the interests rep
resented will be disclosed only as from
day to day persons wishing to speak on
some particular schedule announce them
selves as desiring a hearing. The COM
mittee has drawn up programme to
cover the hearings. Each schedule, ac-
cording to present arrangements, Will be
discussed during two full days. If nee
cessary. additional time also Will be
granted. Persons desiring to appear will
be notified from time to time as the
hearings progress.
Chief Bones of Contention.
The cotton and wooden schedules prom
ise to be the chief bones of contention.
The schedule covering miscellaneous ar
ticles also will give the committee
good deal of trouble.
Just as soon as the hearings are con-
cluded the committee will begin drafting
a general tarin revision programme to
be submitted to the extra session OF
Congress that will be convened about
the latter part Of March.
Whether the proposed tarif revision
will be incorporated in a series of bills
reducing the tariff schedule by schedule
or whether it will be Incorporated In one
bill dealing with the proposed changes
as whole has not yet been decided.
Furthermore. II will not be possible for
the leaders to determine this question
until President-elect Wilson submits his
views on this matter. Majority Leader
Underwood personally desires schedule
by schedule revision.
In considering the reduction Of the
tariff the Ways and Means Committee
will be obliged to so limit its operations
as to save the government some S2S.-
0oo 900 per year in revenues. This neces-
sity makes the framing Of tariff legisla-
ton one OF extreme delicacy. for no mat
ter how much II may he desired to knife
protective duties II must be remembered
that the government requires a certain
income from its revenues for running
expenses.
Favor Income Tax.
To raise the necessary amount and to
Offset the reduction OF the tariff certain
Democratic Representatives are in favor
or passing an income tax bill at the ex-
ira session, whether the constitutional
amendment now before the STATE Legis-
latures has been ratified by two-thlrds
OF the States in the Union or not. Such
a bill would permit the taxing of per-
sonal incomes and would in a large
Ia
Increasing internal revenue taxes on
beer and tobacco also are to be sug-
gested to make up for proposed reduc-
tions in tariff. Free sugar still finds
favor with many Representative and it
is expected that a free-sugar provision
will be one of the leading features Of the
proposed tariff legislation to he put
through next spring
The committee hopes to take many
tariff taxes of necessities OF life and
place them on the so-called luxurics
Champagne and perfume, for instance,
win stand an excellent chance of having
to pay increased rates. Silk which now
comes in free may be heavily taxed
There will be an earnest effort made TO
take the duty off meats and breadstuffs
although the Representatives from the
border districts. who fought reciprocity
with Canada. may be counted upon to
stion.
Has Adequate Information.
The committee proposes to proceed on
the theory that It has received adequate
information on which to write tariff
schedules, but that in fairness to the
business interests of the country all in
terested parties should be given a chance
to appear and testify. Thus far no pro-
visions have been made to take testimony
in behalf of the consumer and apparent
ly the committee has taken no notice
Of the criticisms that followed in the
wake of the passage of the Payne-Ald-
rich bill, when it was charged that the
previous Ways and Means Committee
gathered nothing but ex-parte testimony
and paid no attention to the plants of
the general public.
When the proposed tariff bill, or bills,
reaches the floor of the House impor-
tant changes may be made. In spite
of the Democratic tendency to reduce the
tariff. each Representative Is going into
the fray with determined effort to pro-
tect the industries of his own district
Some OF these squabbles will find dyed
in-the-wool standpatters lining up with
the most pronounced radicals in an ef-
fort to obtain concessions for industries
in which they may both happen to be
interested.
The extra session. which is to take up
tariff revision. probably will last late in
to the summer,
Programme of Hearings.
The programme for the committee
hearings, which start tomorrow, is as
follows:
January s-schedule A: Chemicals oils, and
paints.
January s-schedule b: Eartheuvsre and glass
ware
Jauuary p-Schedule O.: Manufactures and metals. |
January l3-Schedue d: Wood and manufactures:
and Schedule l.: silk and silk goods.
January l5-Schedule e. Sugar and manufactures;
and Schedule H: Spirits, wines, and beTerages
January IT-schedule F: Tobacco and manufsc
t1res: and Schedule NJ: Pulp. paper and books.
January D-scheiule G.: Agricultural products and
provisions.
January 2s-schedule l.: Cotton and manufactures. |
January 2i-schedule j: Flax. hemp and iute man
ufactures.
January 2-Schedule h: Wool and manufactures |
January sq-Schedule N: Sundies.
January 3l-Free st administrative provisions and
miscellaneous.
Would Pension War Nurses.
A bill providing pensions for all nurses |
who served more than ninety days in |
tba civil war was introduced by Sena-