The Washington herald., 1913-09-18
STATE OFFICIALS
CONSIDER TARIFF
Passage Of Underwood's Bill
VIII Require New Foreign
Agreements.
OLD CONCESSIONS EXPIRE
No Unusual Obstacles Are Expected
During Course of the
Negotiations.

With the approach of the final enactment
OF the tariff bill into law, the State
Department is preparing for the big task.
imposed upon il by the new measure, of
negotiating trade agreements with the
foreign nations with which the United
States has important commercial rela-
tiOns.
This becomes necessary with the pas
sage Of the bill. not only because of the
specific direction therein that the Presi-
. @ 49, Sotiate such agreements, but
-.-a rtsting arrangements with
.fa -nments for tariff conces-
.... - auire with the Payne-Aldrich
.-...- .. agreements now in force
are specifically dependent upon the life
Of the present tariff law. Others will be-
come practically invalidAted by the COM
ing into operation of the new tariff meas
Ure.
Many Agreements Made.
The existing trade agreements were
made on the basis of the maximum and
minimum provisions OF the PayneAldrich
law. From August. 1873. until March,
1910, the State and Treasury Departments
were busy arranging with foreign govern
ments for tariff concessions to the
United States, before the maximum and
minimum clauses went into effect on the
latter date.
AS result Of their efforts. President
TAFT was able to announce that on March
l, 1910, there were practically no dis
examinations against the goods of the
United States upon the part of foreign
governments and their tariff laws. Amer
lean goods now are practically all under
most favored nation" treatment
The situation now confronting the State
Department is quite different. The law
provides that in case of discrimination
against exports to or imports from the
United States, the President shall invoke
upon the imports from the country max
ing such determinations higher retalia-
tory duties. These higher duties are
to continue until the discriminatory pro-
visions of tariff law or regulation have
been removed.
The operation of this retaIiatory fea-
ture of the new tariff bill is limited to
a certain group OF specified articles.
These are: Fish, smoked, fresh, dried,
picked, or otherwise prepared; coffee;
tea; earthen, stone, and chinaware;
lemons; cheese; wines Of all kinds: malt
liquors; knitted goods: silk dresses and
silk goods; leather gloves; laces and en-
broideries, of whatever material COM
posed, and articles made wholly or in part
of the same; toys jewelry, precious and
sSlll- ~ e lOuSs anu llillldllOn precious
stones suitable for use in the manufac-
ture of jewelry; sugars. tank bottoms.
syrup of cane juice, and concentrated
n.olasses, testing by the polariscOpe not
above 70 degrees; mOlasses; wool; vege-
table oils.
New Arrangements Easy.
II is believed that the nations inter-
ested in any of the products enumer-
ated as subject TO a retaiiatorv tax will
be found most amenabIe il r..
T"aTranginE the cOmmerCif --
between them and the Unite .-t
new tariff measure contains
features outside of the
provisions. which are a so
satisfaction to foreign nat
unusual obstacles are exp
forthcoming negotiations.
That the Congress did ne
iTteTyal Of time between III
tho bill and its going into eff
the new. trade agreements -r
EUtiated is regretted in .,.r
circles 1t is feared that
in securing in the interim the !