The citizen., 1913-10-10

WASHINGTON-The twenty years
tariff war reached its final stage i'll Con
gress, when Chairman Underwood OF
the Ways and Means Committee laid
before the House the report OF the con
terees and announced that the differ
cnces between the Senate and House
bills had been compromised.
II Is the second low tariff measure
that has been passed in more than 6j
years.
The average ad valorem rate OF the
present bill is very much lower than
that OF the Wilson-Gorman act. The
average rate of the latter was 39.4j per
cent, while the estimated rate OF the
present bill ranges from 81 to 30 per
cent The average for the present
! Payne-Aldrich law is 40.l2 per cent.
Senator Simmons said, after a report
from the Treasury experts, that for the
first full fiscal year the measure would
! yield surplus of Sls,000,000.
Among the 675 amendments made in
the Senate, many related merely to ver-
biage The House yielded on 421 and
the Senate abandoned 15l. Compro-
mses 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 and
4.22 per cent. below the House bill as ii
| had come to the Senate.
The result OF the conference report
has been slight increase of the ad
valorcm rate of duty carried by the bill
! but the net result is below the average
! ad valorem rate OF the House bill. Thus
| for the first time i'll the history of tariff
| legislation the Senate has gone on rec
ord in favor OF lower duties in 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 and
| House Democrats caucuses. They re-
lated to the free listing of wool and
of sugar Except for the strong in
sistence OF President Wilson it is likely
| that the Senate would have restored a
revenue duty on both wool and sugar
| Raw wool will go on the free list De-
cember l and sugar will be free after
May l, 1916.
The existing duties on sugar under
| the Payne -Aldrich law will continue un-
/ til March /. 1914, then the lower rates
carried by the new law will become eff
fectiye and continue until May /, 1916
| after which date sugar will go on the
free list automatically All other rates
in the bill will go into effect as soon as
it is signed.
In restoring to the free list alizarin
/ lead or creosotc oil, anthracine and an
thracine oil the Senate followed the
existing law, which gives to the manu-
facturerS OF certain textiles the benefits
| of free dyes used in the industry. The
| House had made them dutiable fol
revenue purposes. The Senate made
them free on the theory that the textile
products had been made to pay less duty
and that the manufacturers should have
the raw material free.
The cyanides were transferred TO the
free list because they are used largely
in mining and are raw material fol
| other American industries. Both the
Senate and House agreed that tanning
materials, such as extracts, should &C
upon the free list because the product:
of the tanneries, sole leather and Other
feathers of the coarser kind that enter
| into the manufacture of boots anc
shoes. harness and saddles were all free
listed
The Democrats put cements and otheI
building material, including lumber anC
shingles upon the free list Pig iron anc
ferromanganese, biilets and ingots fol
railway wheels, together with antimony
ore, were put on the free list.
Automobiles will pay about 30 pc,
cent, which was a reduction OF one
third from the House rate Cattle
sheep and all domestic animals suitable
for food, and wheat, -four and eggs were
put on the free list This was to con
form with the tariff policy OF reducing
the cost OF living.
The five per cent. rebate in tariff
made in the House bill on goods
brought in American ships was retained
in the conference, with the added pro
visions that it would not be so con
strued as to abrogate or in any man
ner impair or affect the provisions o.
any treaty" the United States now has.
The administrative features as EN-
bodied in the House bill emerged from
conference but little changed.
The conference adopted substitute
for the Senate amendment to checl
fraudulent invoices This provides tina
the arrival within the territorial limit
of the United States of any merchan
disc consigned for sale and remaining
the property OF the shipper, and the ac
ceptance of fraudulent invoice by tht
consignee or agent of the consisnor shall
be deemed an attempt to enter sucl
merchandise whether or not actual en-
try is made or offered.
The Senate amendment requiring
statements of cost on merchandise con
tracted for, as well as on that actual,
purchased. was stricken out.
The conference agreed to the Senate