The Washington herald., 1920-12-19
TARIFF FRAMED
TO PROTECT 20
FARM ARTICLES
Ways and Means Commit
tee Agree Upon Measure
! In Secret Session.
STIFF OPPOSITION
TO BILL EXPECTED
Efforts Proposed to Push
Matter Through House
Before Christmas.

The House Ways and Means Com
mittee in executive session yester-
day agreed to an emergency tariff
measure giving protection to twenty
different farm products. The plan
of the committee was to introduce
the measure tomorrow and ask for
consideration by the House on Tues
day.
The purpose of the proposed bill
is to maintain for a year after its
passage a barrier to check the in
fiux into this country of vast guam
titles of foodstuffs now tending to
glut American markets. 1t was
agreed to after several minor dis
putes, some of which promise at
this time to develop into strong
opposition in the House.
Fordney to Father Bill.
The committee at the start was
confronted with the question as to
who, should introduce the bill and
consequently have his name at
tached to 1t. 1t was eventually
agreed that this perfunctory matter
should be attended to by Joseph w
Fordney. the chairman of the COM
mittee.
Following the decision Of the COM
mittee to frame such q measure, II
was confronted with numerous re-
quests to include many different ar.
ticles. The result was that the
measure, as completed last night
was much/more comprehensive than
anticipated by many.
Tariff Rates Proposed.
The items on which tariff protec-
tion are proposed and the rates
agreed upon were as follows:
Wheat, 80 cents a bushel; wool, In
the grease, Is cents pound; wool
shirted. 20 cents a pound: mutton
and lamb, ~ cents q pound; cattle
80 per cent ad valorem: wheat -four
20 per cent ad valorem; corn, is
cents a bushel; sheep. 81 a head II
under 1 year old and So a head II
oyer l year old; onions, 40 cents a
bushel; peanuts, 2 cents a pound:
rice, 2 cents a pound IL cleaned and
~ cents'a pound IL uncleaned; po-
tatoes, 25 cents a bushel; lone
staple cotton, Z cents a pound; cot
tonseed. cocoanut, peanut and soy
bean oils. 20 cents a gallon
Articles Left Ont.
The committee refused to incorpo-
rate the following list Of articles:
Sugar, hogs, frozen beef, vegetable
seeds, barley. FAX. butter, potatoe
flour and potato starch.
The Treasury Department is ex-
pected-to submit to the committee
following the latter's request, a
complete schedule of rates on wool
products in proportion to the pro-
posed rates on wool. The committee
expects to have this schedule in
hand on Monday, when the plan is
to have the bill introduced.
The program of the committee has
already found vigorous opposition
from representatives of districts
where manufacturing Industries
predominate. The statement was
made by some members that the
progtRm was consistently opposed
by between three and five members.
Democrats to Fight.
The Democratic members of the
committee are already preparing to
fight the measure. 1t is understood
that Henry T. Rainey, of Illinois.
will lead the fight of the minority
members on the floor of the House.
The, outstanding supporters of the
measure were confident last night
that those Republicans who were
opposed because the proposed bill
did not include manufactured ar
ticles would be finally ,reconciled to
their side. The view maintained by
the former is that some action to
Save the agricultural industry OF
the country" is imperative.
One Republican member of the
committee expressed the opinion
that the measure would be passed
before the Christmas recess. He
represents an agricultural district
and is strongly in favor of the bill.