The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-03-19
FOREIGN CITRUS TO
GET MARKET HERE
Free Sugar, Lumber and
Farm Crops Included in
Measure Drafted by Com
rnittee-Louisiana's Cane
Fields Doomed by Remov-
ing Projections Bar, Says
Governor of That State
BY IRA e. BENNETT
Special Dispatch to The Can)

Special Dispatch to The CAM
WASHINGTON, March 1s.-One gem
eral tariff bill covering all schedules
has been finally completed by the dem
ocratic ways and means committee, II
copies made and the forms in the gov
ernment printing office have been
pied, 50 that there may be no danger
OF premature leaks
Trusted messengers of Chairman Tn
derwood carried tile corrected proofs
to the government printing Office today
and the II copies. one for each mem
Der Of the committee, struck off and
the forms at once broken up so that
no person might be able to obtain an
- itiopal copy.
Zach member of the committee who
has q. bill has locked it in his safe and
all have been pledged to absolute
secrecy.
CALIFORNIA HARD HIT
Despite all precautions the pressure
on several members of the ways and
means committee by their fellow mem
Bers in the house was so great that
the information developed that the
following provisions are in the COM
pleted measure:
Free sugar. free lumber. free farm
products. a drastic cut in all the items
OF the steel and iron schedule. Less than
half cent duty on oranges, nuts. raj
sins. wines and all the leading products
of California.
Members Of the committee concluded
that if the crop Of citrus fruit has
been nearly destroyed by frost the
country should be supplied with such
fruit from Sicily and other foreign
countries
FOREIGN FRUIT To COME HERE
The tariff on all citrus fruits, there
fore. was thoroughly slashed. and an
ticipating this action the transconti-
mental railways have asked a commodity
rate from east to west on oranges and
lemons. so that California may have a
full supply of the foreign product.
The committee voted to make raw
wool dutiable at Is per cent ad valorem
with substantial reductions in the pres
much along the lines of the previous
Democratic wool measures of the last
congress.
lis victory Of the protectionists
over the free raw wool advocates was
the culmination of lively contest in
committee. The present law imposes
a duty of II cents a pound on raw
Congress would have changed to an
ad valorem Of twenty per cent. a reduc-
tion figured to represent approximately
cut from Al to 20 per cent ad valorem
roo RADICAL FOR UNDERWOOD
In the committee meats were put on
the free list as they were in the House
bill Of the last Congress and cattle
were left on the dutiable list.
As soon as all disputed details are
settled the tariff bill will be presented
10 President Wilson for his approval
It will be submitted to the demo-
cratic caucus in April as an admins
tration measure and the rank and hle.
many of whom pledged themselves TO
partial protection. will be forced to go
on record either for or against the VIII
son administration.
That oscar ". Underwood. the chair
man of the ways and means committee.
was compelled TO yield in many in
stances to the low tariff men on the
committee is indicated by the authori-
tative information that the tariff bill
as il stands is much more radical than
Mr. Underwood wished it to be. 1t
embodies the most thorough tariff
slashing that the country has ever wit
messed.
a The leak from the ways and means
cNmmittee, shows that the representa-
iva from Louisiana have been COM
plefely defeated in their fight to retain
duty on sugar, and Governor Hall.
who is in this city. says that as re-
suit of this bill, the sugar growers will
not merely be injured. but win be
aimed"