Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-10-09

A1USE DSInB unueT COnH0uoraLIOn ID
congress for nearly six months the
@Cw tariff bill 10 Q law, and for the
Wlrst time In nearly . quarter Of q cen
aury the country has = tariff law orig
anated by the Democratic party. The
Dill win doubtless be known az the
Underwood Simmons bill, taking the
G1tle from Chairman Underwood Of the
ways and means committee of the
AOuse and Chairman Simmons Of the
ls@nance committee of the senate.
The sponsors for the bill say that It
will raise ample revenue. Chairman
Simmons has been advised that u will
yield surplus Of at least &16OO0O00
q year above current expenses. II It
does not meet the expenses Of running
Che government the expenses will be
@educed.
One remarkable thing about the pres
-snt tariff bill, a precedent, in fact, IL
that the senate cut the average rate
NJ duty carried by the bill below that
nxed By the house Heretofore in the
making Of tariff bill the house has
sIashed the rates, while the senate has
then taken up the bill and readjusted
the rates on higher general average.
The house bill carried general av-
erage rate slightly below 80 per cent
This the senate cut a little over 4 per
cent The conference committee has
raised the general average duty but
slightly. The average~ad valoremy duty
carried by the bin as perfected is
about q per cent. The average under
the present law is about 35 per cent.
Many Changes Considered.
The conference committee had to |
deal with $40 paragraphs on which
there were disagreements. Some of
these involved only the change Of a
word or a question Of punctuation, but
q majority Of them represented diff
Gerences In rates and a few were fun
damental.
The house conferees also accepted
the senate amendment fixing dates
when the wool duties shall go into ef-
feet, which was one Of the hnal STUN.
bling blocks.
Raw wool will go on the free list on
Dec. 1. and the reduced duties car.
Eied by the present bill will become eff
Elective on ian. |. The house bill pro.
posed to make the wool duties effective
immediately on the bill being signed
by the president The final action was
an important concession to the manu-
1acturers.
The senate won over the house also
on controverted paragraphs in the
schedule relating to cotton cloths and
yarns. BY this agreement slightly
higher duties are given to certain
cOarser grades OF cotton cloths and
yarns by changing the classification.
Fur hats and frames. forms and 9TH
er parts for the manufacture Of such
hats received a rate of As per cent
This matter affects the hat Industry in !
Connecticut The house fixed the rate (
ut 40 per cent the senate made it 45.
The silk schedule also was reopened,
and the rate on silk partially manufac.
tured from cOcoons or wastes, not fur =
ther advanced In manufacture than
carded or combed silk, and silk noils.
was reduced from 30 to 20 cents per
pound
The Metal Schedule.
Probably no single industry covered =
BY the tariff bill suffered suchs reduc. {
ions In duties as did the iron and steel '
industry. The house cut duties un- /,
IpaFingly. and then the senate follow
d by making still further reductions
md increasing the free list c
The house. for example. placed &
luty Of per cent on pig iron. spiegel- r
en-, scrap iron and scrap steel and s.
Ike products and made ferro-maganese
utiable ct % per cent The senate n.
ne listed both Of them. and the cor