The Penn's Grove record., 1913-10-03
NEW TARIFF LAW
SYNOPSIS OF THE UNDERWOOD
SIMMONS BILL.
FREE WOOL ON DECEMBER
Measure Expected to Yield Surplus
the First Year-Free List En-
Iarged by the Senate.

WASHINGTON.-The twenty years
tariff war reached its final stage in Con
gress, when Chairman Underwood OF
the Ways and Means Committee laid
before the House the report of the con
ferees and announced that the differ
ences between the Senate and House
bills had been compromised.
1t is the second low tariff measure
that has been passed in more than 81
years.
The average ad valorem rate of the
present bill is very much lower thar
that of the Wilson-Gorman act. The
average rate of the latter was 39.45 pei
cent, while the estimated rate of the
present bill ranges from 27 to 20 pei
cent. The average for the present
Payne-Aldrich law is 1912 per cent.
Senator Simmons said, after a report
from the Treasury experts, that for the
first full fiscal year the measure would
yield a surplus of SIS, 900, 900.
Among the CTS amendments made il
the Senate, many related merely to YER
biage. The House yielded on APT anc
the Senate abandoned ISL. Compro,
misses were effected on 81.
The general trend of the Senate
amendments was in the direction of re.
duced duties. Expressed in percentage
the Senate bill when reported reduced
duties 27.64 below the existing law anc
4.22 per cent. below the House bill as i
had come to the Senate.
The result of the conference report
has been a slight increase of the &C
valorem rate of duty carried by the bill
but the net result is below the average
ad valorem rate of the House bill. Thu:
for the first time in the history of tariff
legislation the Senate has gone on rec.
ord in favor of lower duties in a tariff
bill than those adopted by the House.
The most important features of the
new bill are those which led to the
greatest struggle in both the Senate anc
House Democratic caucuSes. They re
lated to the free listing of wool anC
of sugar. Except for the strong in
sistence of President Wilson it is likely
that the Senate would have restored
revenue duty on both wool and sugar
Raw wool will go on the free list De
cember 1 and sugar will be free aftei
May 1, 1916.
The existing duties on sugar under
the Payne-Aldrich law will continue un
til March l, 1914, then the lower rate.
carried by the new law will become eff
fective and continue until May l, 1916
after which date sugar will go on tn,
free list automatically. ALI other rate.
in the bill will go into effect as soon a.
it is signed.
In restoring to the free list a~lizarin
lead or creosote oil, anthracine and an
thracine oil, the Senate followed thu
existing law, which gives to the manu-
f~acturers of certain textiles the benefit,
of free dyes used in the industry. TIL,
House had made them dutiable TO
revenue purposes. The Senate mad,
them free on the theory that the textile
products had been made to pay less dut,
and that the manufacturers should hav,
the raw material free.
The cyanideS were transferred to tn
free list because they are used largel,
in mining and are raw material 70
other American industries. Both tn
Senate and House agreed that tanning
materials, such as extracts, should g,
upon the free list because the product
of the tanneries, sole leather and othe
feathers of the coarser kind that ente
into the manufacture of boots an,
shoes, harness and saddles were all FIRE
listed.
The Democrats put cements and othe
building material, including lumber an,
shingles upon the free list. Pig iron an,
ferromanganese, billets and ingots, TO
railway wheels, together with antimon
ore, were put on the free list.
Automobiles will pay about 80 pc
cent, which was a reduction of one
third from the House rate. Cattle
sheep and all domestic animals suitabl
for food, and wheat, -four and eggs wer
put on the free list. This was to con
form with the tariff policy of reducin
the cost of living.
The five per cent. rebate in tart
made in the House bill on good
brought in American ships was retaine
in the conference, with the added pre-
visions that it would not "be so cor
strued as to abrogate or in any man
ner impair or affect the provisions G
any treaty" the United States now has.
The administrative features as en-
bodied in the House bill emerged fror
conference but little changed.
The conference adopted a substitute
for the Senate amendment to chez
fraudulent invoices. This provides thu
the arrival within the territorial limit
of the United States of any merchar
disc consigned for sale and remainin
the property of the shipper, and the a
ceptance of a fraudulent invoice by I'll
consignee or agent of the consignor sha
he 1aaroaI M o++aooa+ 70 aY+o- SO
merchandise whether or not actual er
try is made or offered.
The Senate amendment requirin
statements of cost on merchandise COZ
tracted for, as well as on that actual.
purchased, was stricken out.
The conference agreed to the Sena-
amendment authorizing the Secreta1
of the Treasury and the Secretary {
Commerce to require importers to flu
nish more detailed information on shiI
ments for statistical purposes.
differentiation Penalty.
The Senate receded from the amen,
ment allowing a margin of 5 per Ger
differentiation without penalty and lin
iting forfeiture of the particular goot
u~ndervalued. The bill imposes an ado
tional duty of l per cent. on unde
valued goods.
Ofsettting this, the conferen
adopted the Senate amendment autho
izing the Secretary of the Treasury
assess the duty on less than the e
tered value when satisfied that the il
porter has in good faith at the tin
of the entry certified the entered val
above the market value.
The conference restored the Hot