The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-20
AMENDMENT GIVES
WILSON AUTHORITY
Finance Committee Would
Give President Right to
Suspend Certain Rates

Washington. June 1e.-An amendment to
the Underwood tariff bill adopted today
by the majority members of the Senate
finance committee would give the Presi-
pend certain rates in the proposed law
and to proclaim special rates against ma
tions which discriminate against products
sof the United States
The amendment Is appended to the
clause giving the President authority to
negotiate reciprocity agreements with
other nations. and in some respects re-
sembles the maximum and minimum
clause of the Payne-Aldrich tariff law
eliminated in the House bill. In SUBJ
stance the amendment would provide
that when any nation discriminates
against the products of the United States
or imposes restrictions upon United States
exports, or does not in the opinion of the
President. reciprocate in trade relations,
the President may by proclamation sus-
pend certain rates and put in effect other
rates.
Only specified articles, it is understood,
are to be included under the terms of this
amendment, and the retaliatory rates are
specified also. Among the articles in
cluded in the list upon which the Presi-
dent might suspend rates are fish, wheat,
wheat flour, coffee, tea, earthenware,
wines and malt liquors, silk dress goods,
leather, gloves, jewelry, sugars and mo-
lasses. The duties prescribed vary as to
the different articles. Fish, it is re-
ported, would be dutiable at i cent a
pound, wheat at 10 cents a bushel, flour
at 45 cents a BARREL a few cents per
pound on coffee and tea On other items
the penalty would be doubled rate, while
on sugars, which probably never would
be affected, the rate would be only frac-
ton of cent per pound. The amendment,
of course, is subject to ratification of the
democratic senatorial caucus, which will
begin work on the bill tomorrow.
Besides adding this amendment the
majority members stripped the admin
istrative provisions of the Underwood
bill of many of its new features in
GLIDING the inquisitorial clause, which
gave American agents the right to ex-
anime foreigners books in cases of
disputed import valuations. They also
struck out the provision requiring reg
istration bureaus for commissionaires
and agents in American consulates, the
provision to give the Secretary of the
Treasury the right to determine the
existence nOn-eXlStence OF foreign
market the anti-dumping clause which
provided excess duties on imports un-
dersold in this country and the per
cent tariff discount on imports in
American vessels
Inserts Amendment
The committee. however, inserted an
amendment providing for the appoint
ment of commission to be composed
of members of the Senate finance and
the House ways and means committees
to make a thorough study of the whole
tariff administration question and re-
port recommendations for its readjust-
ment The action of the committee
strikes from the bill all the provisions
which aroused protests from foreign
nations.
The committee declined to approve
the amendment suggested by Assistant
Attorney General Denison and Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury Curtis
which would give the Secretary of the
Treasury authority to proclaim values
of imports irrespective of foreign mar
kets, scheme designed primarily to
protect the government against loss of
revenue under ad valorem tariff
through undervaluations.