The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-01-03
PUT TARIFF ON
FREE ARTICLES
NOW CONSIDERED BY
THE ADMINISTRATION
To Meet Threatened Deficit
at End of the Fiscal Year
Has Big Job.

,, WASHINGTON, Jan 1.-The prop
lem of raising additional revenue loI
the government IT. AVOID the threat
enra deficit At the Ia Of the neN'
fiscal year has assumed such proper
tions that administration leaders IN
Congress are reviewing the thtiTt i't.
list 10 consider the advisahilll% OF
inlarjnc ,ariff duties on other commo
dities than coffee. rubber anu wool
and increasing the present tarlH OH
sugar
Revenue 10 be derived from thrs9
four sources will fall far below u,
sum needed. unless there Is radlcaJ
revision onward OF the tariff duties or
jciually proposed on them. Estimates
placed before the Ways and Means
Committee by Treasury Department
;eynerts are said 10 show that under Il
mayimum tariff of five percent, ines.
four commodities would yield noi
more than $5Q, 900 annually ana
probably not more than S+a,0"o'oVV
Secretary McAdoO estimates thal ap
IproXimatrly $l93,N0.HUO VII! nave tC
Ii he raised by taxation in addition 10
snms 10 be derived from proposed
bond issues.
The chief remaining articles on me
free list not eliminated by the poilc!
of non-disturbance or such DIG lhCuH
tries as the iron and steel trade. III
clude cocoa. drugs. undresScu luIE ii
and skins, meats, oils, potatoes. SIN
and tea. other articles On the free list
understood 10 have been virtual!
eliminated from consideration are cop
Der and iron ore, leather anu Stee'
nroductS, such as rails. y host oi M
nor articles are also on ihc tree llSt
and on these estimates have been iur
nished the committee, showing lne
amount of revenue which small larlll
duties would yield.
More Sources Of Revenue.
Additional sources Of revenue uhuel
consideration by the committee in
clude articles on which the internal
reynue bureau collects an excise tax
notably tobacco Tobacco already is
under heavy excise and tariff taxes
but some officials feel that consider
ably more revenues could be raised BY
imposing additional taxes which would
not add appreciably TO the cost 10 Inc
consumer.
Indications now are that President
Wilson will leave the problem 10 the
WAYS and means committee. ana VIII
not find it necessary 10 make recon-
mendations to Congress to cover the
situation. l., =,
rived hv placing tariff duties on rirtu-
ally everything on the free list are IN the
icornmittee's hands. From these cSti-
mates the committee hopes TO eN0lN" Il
rnvenue bin which may include n NUM-
her of the chief articles imported and
omit many others.
Original proposals under considerat'on
involved placing An additional 'arii: ol
fron, onc-uuarter to oue-halt a cent 4
nound on sugar and from TO five prr
cent of thet value "f wool. rubber ami
coffee. customs officials recommend
Strongly that the tariff If imposed, be
made made s. specific. rather than ad-valorem.
as the collection Of ad,yaleorem tariffs
of snecifi, duties. If specific. n three to
five per cent tariff on wool would
amount to from four-fIfths Of cent L"
ono and one-quartcr cent pound: on
rubber approximately from two to three
cents and on coffee from one-quarter t"
one half a cent