The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-08

provision, with. however, a graduated tax, according to the percentage of
 absolute alcohol employed.
 Tariff Commission Created
 The sections of the measures creat- ing a Tariff Commission remain in
 tact. The commission authorized is to
 consist of six members. not more than three of them to belong to one
 political party. The term of office
 for the members of the commission is fixed at twelve years, the first
 members appointed to hold for two, four, six. eight, ten, and twelve years,
 the term of each to be designated by
 the President of the United States. The President is to designate the
 commission annually. No member is to be permitted to engage in any other
 business or employment. The salary of members is fixed at $7,500. Pro- vision is made by an appropriation of $300,000 annually for the employment of clerks and other officials to carry on the work of the commission, these employees to be under the civil service
 rules!
 The duty of the commission is to investigate with reference to tariff leg islation, the administration and fiscal and industrial effects of the customs laws of this country, the relation be- tween the rates of duty on raw ma terials and finished or partly finished products, the effect of ad valorem and specific duties, and all questions relat- ing to the arrangement of schedules
 and the classification of articles in the various schedules of thee ustoms laws Together with the effect of all such
 matters on the Federal revenue and the industries and labor of the coun- try.
 The commission is to be required
 to report to the President, the Ways
 and Means Committee of the House,
 and the Finance Committee Gof the
 Senate at any time all information it may acquire upon the subjects named,
 and 1t may be charged by the Presi-
 dent of the committees named to
 make any special investigation that they may deem necessary. The com mission Is also empowered to investi- gate tariff relations between the Uni- ted States and other countries, and all commercial treaties and preferen- tial arrangements, bounties, transpor- tation preferences, and similar trade arrangements that may be affected by
 tariff legislation. All information in
 possession of the commission is pro-
 tected from m-pubfcaty by heavy penal
 ties. The commission has power to
 summon witnesses and penalties are
 provided for recalcitrant witnesses. Federal Inheritance Tax
 Forth first time in the history of the country Federal inheritance tax is to be imposed, and the House pro- vision on this subject is retained. It provides tax of per cent on es- tates up to ,$50.o00; 2 per cent. on those between $50,O00 and $15O,O0O; per cent. on those between $150,OO0 and $250,000; 4 per cent. between S250, 900 and $450,000; 5 per cent. be-
 tween $45o.ooo and s1,ooo,ooo; 6 per | cent. between $1,000,000 and $2,00O,- | 900: 2 per cent. between $2,000,00
 and $3,000,0o0; 8 per cent. between $3,o0O.000 and $4.o00,000; g per cent. | between $4,000.000 and $5,0o0, 900, | and 10 per cent. on all estates
 amounting to over $5,00Q,000.
 The bone of sharpest contention in | the conference was the tax-on cop per. The House was very insistent on | holding it's provisions for this tax, the
 more so because it had been charged
 in a partisan way that Cleveland H.
 Dodge of Phelps, Dodge & Co.,, opera
 ting some of the largest copper pro- perties in the country, had been a
 large contributor to President Will
 sons campaign fund. A compromise | was therefore made, the Senate gain {, ing on several features that~were es- pecially obnoxious to the House, the Tariff Commission being perhaps the
 most noteworthy of these. Gross re-
 ceipts of copper snf4lters, will there fore pay a tax equivalent to 1 per
 cent. where receipts exceed $25,00O
 and do not exceed $1,000.000; 2 per
 cent. on receipts between <s1. 900, 900
 and $10,000,0 ,00O, and per cent on
 receipts in excess of $10.oo0.o0o.