The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-05-20

but it certainly ought to remain a per
manent part of the fiscal system OF the
federal government also.
MANY of the minor taxes provided for
in the revenue legislation of 1917 and
1918, though no doubt made necessary by
the pressing necessity of wartime, can
hardly find sufficient justification under
the easier circumstances of peace and
can now happily be got rid Of. Among
these, hope you will agree, are the ex-
cises upon various manufactures and the
taxes upon retail sales. They are un-
equal in the incidence on different in
dustries and on different individuals.
Their collection is difficult and expensive.
Those which are levied upon articles sold
at retail are largely evaded by the read
justment of retail prices. On the other
hand, ! should assume that it is expe-
dent to maintain a considerable range
of indirect taxes, and the fact that al
coholic liquors will presently no longer
afford a source of revenue by taxation
makes it the more necessary that the
field should be carefully restudied in or
| der that equivalent sources OF revenue
may be found which it will be legitimate
and not burdensome to draw upon But
you have at hand in the treasury depart
ment many experts who can advise you
upon the matters much better than ]
can. can only suggest the lines of a
permanent system and the placing of
the taxes where they will least hamper
the life of the people.
"There Is, fortunately, no occasion for
undertaking in the immediate future any
general revision of our system of import
| duties No serious danger OF foreign
competition now threatens American in
| dustries. Our country has emerged from
the war less disturbed and less weakened
| than any of the European countries
which are our competitors in manufac-
ture. Their industrial establishments
have been subjected TO greater strain
than ours, their labor force to more
serious disorganization, and this is clear
ly not the time TO seek an organized
advantage. The work of mere recon-
struction will, | am afraid, tax the ca
| pacity and the resources OF their people
| for years to come. So far from there
| being any danger or need of accentuated
| foreign competition, it is likely that the
conditions Of the next few years will
greatly facilitate the marketing of
! American manufactures abroad Least
of all should we depart from the policy
adopted in the tariff act of 1918, permit
| ting the free entry into the United
States of the raw materials needed to
supplement and enrich our own album
dant supplies.
Nevertheless, there are parts of our
rtariff system which need prompt atten-
| tion. The experiences of the war have
| made it plain that in some cases too
great reliance on foreign supply is dan
gerous and that in determining certain
parts Of our tariff policy domestic CON
siderations must be borne in mind which
are political as well as economic. Among
| the industries to which consideration
should be given is that OF manufacture
of dyestuffs and related chemicals Our
complete dependence upon German sup
plies before the war made the Interrupt
| tion of trade cause OF exceptional eco
nomie disturbance The close relation
between the manufacture of dyestufs, on
| the one hand and of~explosives and pois-
onous gases on the other, moreover, has
\ given the industry an exceptional sig
nitcance and value. Although the Unit
ed States will gladly and unhesitatingly
| join in the program of international dis
/ armament, it will, nevertheless, be a
policy of obvious prudence to make GER
tain Of the successful maintenance of
many strong and well equipped chemical
plants. German chemical industry with
which we will be brought into compete
tion was and may we'll be again thor
oughly knit monopoly capable Of exer-
cising a competition of a peculiarly in
sidious and dangerous kind.