The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-19
Administration Bill Is to Fa-
vor Duty on Dye
stuffS
TARIFF COMMISSION
is TO BE PROVIDED
High Protection on Most
Chemical Products Is
the Program

Washington, Feb. l9.-The administra
ticn has decided to take the tariff revis
ion bull by the horns and propose a bill
of its own covering all tariff changes and
other propositions which the business
sentiment of the country appears to de-
mand and within the next thirty days the
Democratic members of the ways and
means committee will consult with Pres
ident Wilson and Secretary of Commerce
Redfield and as result of their sugges-
tons frame a blanket bill, the chief fea-
lures of which will call for protective du-
ties on dyestuffs, an antidumping clause
and a tariff commission. The sugar du-
ties will be retained at the existing rate,
but as the free sugar clause of the I'm
derwood tariff act would become opera
tive May /, it will be necessary to deal
with the sugar question in separate
bill. IL has been decided that as certain
changes in tariff policy are imperative,
the administration will stand better
chance of success with its proposals If
it embodies them in one agreed bill
which shall not be subject to amendment.
Once decided upon the provision of the
bill, the administration will put forth all
its power with the majority to put it
through.
1t appears unlikely that the Hill bill
providing duties on dyestuffs viii be
adopted as it stands. This, at least, is
the inference from the fact that Secre-
tary Redield will form the third party
in the Forthcoming conference. Mr.. Red
field has opposed any increase in the du
ties now imposed in the chemical sched-
ule, but the case presented to the ways
and means committee by the chemical
and textile men was so strong that a |
of the committee became CON
WINGED that an increase of the duties |
was necessary. The suggestion of the |
department OF commerce that an anti |
dumping clause would afford sufficient
to American chemical plants I
was secuted by all the manufacturers /
who were backed in their position also |
by the report of a committee of the
American Chemical society which set /
,orth specific schedule of rates as
necessary to protect the American indus
.ry adequately against German competi-
ion. The Hill bill embodied the rates
tated in this report. The point was
Emphasized in the hearings that duties
overing only the difference in the labor
ost of production, which usually is the
governing factor in the establishment of
ates and which the representatives of
he department of commerce accentuated
5 the criterion, could not be relied upon,
4, - a 4
urers are backed by the German govern
1ent and whenever they were seriously
threatened by American competition they
Tould throw cost to the winds and food
he American market until their rivals
'ere drowned out, drawing upon their
IMMENSE reserve funds TO support them a
uring the operation. The department I
commerce while recognizing this con r
ition, declared that an anti-dumping
ause would afford protection enough. a
pom this point, however, the manufac $
lrers informed the committee that they +
would not invest new moley .
{" chemical plants unless they were as s
lred the full tariff protection provided
the Hill bill. b
Apparently the administration is pro-
,sed to compromise with the depart q
ent of commerce and to favor a bill b
creasing the present rates and covering W
ore or all chemicals but not providing
titles as high as the makers of chemi- b
Is deemed desirable. The issue of pre-
redness is an important one in con. dl
elton with the dyestuffs controversy, o,
r the ways and means committee now ci
what they did not realize
fore. that high explosives and dyestuffs ii
e made in the same plants and from cl
o same basic materials. For this pow bt
full reason the prospect of high protec-
IN upon chemical products is good, al tn
ough it is feared that the administra- m
IN bill will fall short of meeting the tn
cessities of the chemical industry.