The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-11

After being under consideration in
congress for nearly six months the
new tariff bill is a law, and for the
first time in nearly a quarter of a cen
fury the country has a tariff law orig
mated by the Democratic party. The
bill will doubtless be known as the
Underwood Simmons bill, taking the
title from Chairman Underwood of the
ways and means committee of the
house and Chairman Simmons of the
finance committee of the senate.
The sponsors for the bill say that it
will raise ample revenue. Chairman
Simmons has been advised that it will
yield a surplus of at least S16,OOO,OOO
a year above current expenses. If it
does not meet the expenses of running
the government the expenses will be
reduced.
One remarkable thing about the pres
ent tariff bill, a precedent, in fact, is
that the senate cut the average rate
of duty carried by the bill below that
fixed by the house. Heretofore in the
making of a tariff bill the house has
slashed the rates, while the senate has
then taken up the bill and readjusted
the rates on a higher general average.
The house bill carried a 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 valorem duty
carried by the bill as perfected is
about 81 per cent. The average under
the present law is about 80 per cent.
Many Changes Considered.
The conference committee had to
deal with 676 paragraphs on which
there were disagreements. Some of
these involved only the change of a
word or a question of punctuation, but
a majority of them represented diff
ferences in rates and a few were fun
damentaI
The house conferees also accepted
the senate amendment fixing dates
when the wool duties shall go into eff
feet. which was one of the final STUN
bling blocks.
Raw wool will go on the free list on
Dec. 1. and the reduced duties car
fled by the present bill will become eff
fective on Jan. l. 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-
facturers
The senate won over the house also
on controverted para graphs in the
schedule relating TO cotton cloths and
yarns By this agreement slightly
higher duties are given to certain
DO 81 Ill
yarns by changing the classification.
Fur hats and frames. forms and 9TH
er parts for the manufacture of such
hats received rate of 40 per cent
This matter affects the hat industry in
Connecticut The house fixed the rate
at 40 per cent. the senate made it As.
The silk schedule also was reopened,
and the rate on silk partially manufac-
tured from cocoons or wastes. not fur
Their advanced in manufacture than
carded or combed silk. and silk noils.
was reduced from 80 to 20 cents per
pound.
The Metal Schedule.
Probably no single industry covered
by the tariff bill suffered such reduc-
tons in duties as did the iron and steel
industry. The house cut duties I'M
sparingly, and then the senate follow
ed by making still further reductions
and increasing the free list.
The house. for example, placed a
duty of per cent on pig iron. spiegel-
sen, scrap iron and scrap steel and
like products and made ferro-maganese
dutiable at 15 per cent. The senate
free listed both of them, and the con-