Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-11
Those Who Appear Before
Tariff Hearing of Ways
and Means Body to be
Sworn In.
MAY PLACE IRON
ON THE FREE LIST
Printing Presses Will Prob
ably be Given Considera-
tion by Tariff Doctors in
the House.

washington, ~. ", jan. W. no - -
and steel schedule was taken up today
by the house ways and means COM
mittee when it resumed hearings on
tariff revision. Two days probably Will
be devoted to this important section
and many prominent steel men Will
be heard.
Schedule C is one Of the big sched-
ules OF tariff legislation and has al.
ways drawn large representation or
Industrial officials and experts to
Washington. ....
Confronted by contradictory testl-
mony during the consideration OF the
chemical and earthen and glassware
schedules, the committee today began
the practice of requiring all witnesses
to testify under oath. Hereafter every
person who appears to advice the COM
mittee what 1t ought to do and how 1t
would affect his interest must give his
views and couch his answers under
the solemnity of an oath administered
by the clerk of the committee The
beginning of this practice was at the
suggestion of Representative James OF
Kentucky and the committee agreed
Sto 1t BY unanimous vote.
sg The basis .of the hearing today was
the Underwood metal revision bill
passeC but vetoed during the last ses-
sion of congress. The tentative plan
Of the committee is to follow 1t very
closely. This, in general way, is the
Man Of the democratic leaders with
respect to all the tariff schedules COW
cred by separate bills which passed
the house and senate at the last ses-
sion.
To Put Iron on Free List.
The democrats plan to base the
rate on the value of the articles In
stead Of the specific rates of the pres
ent Payne-Ahrich tariff law and would
nut on the free list iron ore, now 8
cents ton; tungsten zinc ores, hoop
Or band iron, barbed and all other wire
fencing. horseshoe nails. iron or steel
cut nails or spikes, wire staples, cut
tacks, washers, nuts, horseshoes and
cash registers. The democrats have
expected by the Underwood bill to re-
duce the average duties on the articles
In that schedule by 35 per cent and
that schedule will produce $17,477,64O
In revenue. .....
Practically all members of the COM
mittee are sitting in the hearings. One
OF the interested spectators is Repre-
sentative "Jack" Garner of Texas, the
unanimous choice of the Texas dele
cation for representative Of that sec
tion of the country on the committee.
Chairman Underwood said that the
proposition was to make all articles
on the dutiable list pay some reason
able duty .-~
Mr.. Eennett pressed for suggestion
as to the amount of revision that the
American manufacturers could STAND,
said they would be willing to expert
ment with the government on 70
per cent tariff Mr.. Bennett said the
20 per cent really went to labor, as 1t
was less than the difference IN the
cost OF labor between the United
States and foreign countries. lie said
that while actual exports OF American
printing presses were increasing they
were not making the increases the
Germans were He admitted that the
tariff would not help the Americans in
the foreign markets, his contention be-
ing to protect the home market against
cheaper labor abroad.
Printing Presses Free.
The proposal to put printing
presses on the free list instead Of a
50 per cent ad valorem duty as under
the present tariff, brought protest
from James E. Bennett of New York,
representing % printing press manu-
featuring companies, that the present
tariff should stand. He challenged
government statistics Of expectations
OF printing presses and said when he
went to the New York customs house
to verify the figures, officials there
told him they had to go by the mani
festos and that they could not tell
whether packages were printing
presses or feather beds"
$50 far as the American market is
concerned" asked Representative
Palmer of Pennsylvania, "the Ameri-
can printing press manufacturer has
. monopoly"
s5"Yes, with slight exception"
Chairman Underwood told the wit
ness the democrats were seeking a
tariff for revenue and mot to protect
profits" and there was no disposition
to maintain tariff unless there was
some revenue to the government.
The witness contended that the bust.
ness was b--iss run on a small mar
gin.