Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-16
15PER CENT. WOOL
DUTY DEMANDED
Underwood, Confident, Assures
President Tariff Measure
viii Overcome Opposition.

WASHINGTON, April 16.-"F Fifteen
per cent. ad yalorem duty on raw
WOOL was the slogan of the organ
lied opposition to the administration
free wool bill when the Democratic
caucus today resumed consideration
of the new tariff bill.
With Southern and New England
Democrats still fighting the cotton
rates proposed in the new measure,
the anti-free wool members were
planning their attack on schedule K,
which the caucus expected to reach
before the close of the day.
At an early morning conference of
the Democrats from Ohio, Indiana,
West Virginia and many of the
Western States, it was determined to
stand by their decision to fight for a
Is per cent. duty, which they assert
was the original judgment of the
ways and means committee before
consultation with President Wilson.
Administration Confident.
Representative Ashbrook, of Ohio,
who has presided over the anti-free
wool conferences, prepared to lead
the fight on the caucus floor. Though
the opposition declares 1t has the
sympathies of more than fifty Demo-
cratic members, the administration
leaders insist that they cannot mus
ter that many votes on an amend
ment to change the bill as presented
to the caucus.
When the caucus resumed consider
alton of the bin Chairman Under
/,
evidently much improved. took charge
and work was begun on the cotton
schedule. Several attempts to alter
the proposed reductions of duty on
collars and cuffs were defeated.
81 wish there were some way of
getting at steam laundries through
the tariff BILL" said Speaker Clark.
''They can ruin perfectly good col
lar with the greatest ease There
may be some combination between
them and the collar manufacturers.
Mr.. Underwood declared that while
the Democratic majority was suffi-
GENTLY strong to put the measure
through the House within a short
time, the Democrats would permit the
minority to be fully heard.
whole Bill VIII Pass.
"Of course there will be many
amendments from our Republican
friends" he said, but the bill will
pass the House just as it is approved
by the caucus and with only a few
minor changes. You can't write
tariff bill of 1000 items without for
getting to cross a IT and dot an r
here and there. Inequalities always
creep in and these have to be ad-
justed'
Chairman Underwood called upon
President Wilson today and assured
him that the tariff bill is sure to go
through the House essentially in the
form in which it now stands and that
only such amendments as may be
suggested by the committee were like
ly to be adopted. He expects the eau
Gus to ratify the bill by the end of
this week and thinks the bill can get
through the House within thirty days.
August | is still a good guess as to
final action on the bill in Congress,
although elaboration of the income
tax may prolong it, If Congress gets
tied up on the income tax that fea-
ture can be separted from the bill and
the tariff enacted.
Hull Answers Complaint.
representative Cordel Hull, of
Tennessee, author of the income tax
law. declared today that complaints
of life insurance companies against
the provisions of the law as affecting
them were groundless. One conten-
ton of the companies is that divi-
dends, which would be taxed under
the law declared by mutual and par
ticipating companies, are not divi-
dends in the commercial sense of the
word, but are simply refunds of a
portion of an overcharge collected
with the annual premium held in
trust and at stated periods, returned
to the policy holder.
The ways and means committee
contends an exhaustive investigation
of the books of insurance companies
shows that in many cases the earn
ings of companies from previous in
vestment and holdings are nearly as
large as the amounts which are an
nually distributed as dividends, and
that it does not appear that a separ-
ascertain the funds available for divi-
dends
Chairman Underwood declared to-
day that no protests against provi-
sions of the tariff bill from foreign
governments had yet been forwarded
tf fhn nil faa 10 hne It'd