Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-16
CONGRESS ANXIOUS I.
TO HELP BUSINESS.
Republicans Are Determined to
Speed Up Legislation to Bring
Back Normal Conditions
STUDYING TARIFF REVISION
BIZ a star Correspondent

Washington. Dec. 16.--Concern OF
congressional leaders over the spread ;
ing general commercial depression Is
given evidence in efforts at both ends
Of the Capitol to speed up legislation
which would aid business to get back
to something approximating n pre- war
normal. There Is general satisfaction
among ma aiority leaders in tho House
at the minority's willingness to go
along with them in doing away with
overlapping and duplication in govern
ment departments.
While this one phase OF the many
sided question of aiding business might
be considered small. leaders argue that
u Indicates n desire to act quickly in
faVor of business. because Il not only
would react to the restoration of normal
business conditions. but would rebound
TO the benefit Of government indirectly
IN the production Of greater revenues
from any program of taxation which
eventually may be enacted.
Representative Thomas 4. Butler, of
fehnsylvania, although chairman of the
naval affairs committee, which IL not
directly concerned with the business in
tereStS of the country, summarized the
views OF many of the leaders in the
statement that Congress must help re-
oulld business which had been torn
down or handicapped by the wartime
paternalism of the government. He
pointed today to the duplication of gov
crnmental effort as one of the big
brakes on the wheels of commerce. add
ing that in more than a score Of in
stances which had come to his attention
governmental duplication had resulted
! n the expenditure of thousands of dol.
iaIs Dy individuals and firms in Penn
syIVania through the necessity of meet
Washington. -
Duplication Must Go
=, That duplication has got to 90"
Mr. Butler said. 1.-THE Republico ns
VIII not permit its continuation. Every
member on the majority side--and I
suppose the same is probably true among
tht Democrats-has been deluged with
complaints from his constituents that
they are bounded TO death by the do.
partments here for this or that or the
other report. and two or three demands
Tor the same thing from the different
branches of the government. II is not
right and costs money.
mad a case yesterday which shows
what Is happening. Two months ago
a firm in my state was told by the
Treasury to send in a report of some
sort, and it spent $4,000 to supply the
,1htormation. Now. along comes the
- OF Commerce and says to
That firm: Send us the same thing.
That's $4,000 more if they do il, Bmt
the company wrote to me and / went
ntter those departments. / said That
stuff you want is here. II Won wont
t 90 to the Treasury and get IL. This
extra work and extra expense has got
% stop and it might as well begin here.
to comply"
Another evidence of the desire To
BOOST business is the determination of |
he ways and means committee to get |
luickiy into its program of tariff re.
VISION. There, have been intimations. |
nus fur without confirmation. that |
,hairman Fordney would seek to push |
through temporary tariff measures under
IN emergency program for the protec-
ION OF the thousands Of manufacturing |
along the Atlantic sea
'oard which have been operating on a
and to- mouth basis and without assur-
nee of future recovery.
Divided on Tariff
In the consideration of tariff mat
crs. however, there Is a divided fam.
y. not only among members of the
iouse, but among manufacturers as
'ell. Information gathered by mem
ers of the ways and means committee
hows that wide differences exist with
espect to the enactment of pro.
'ctive tariff and what rates should be
Manufacturers whose
roduct. is largely for export are rep.
esented as opposing n tariff which
'ould act as bar against heavy impor
atoms. They contend this would mean
ne cutting off imports-the only wav
'urope can pay for goods exported by
.mericans.
Opposed to this school of industry il
le group which manufactures almost
not wholly for domestic consumption,
nd which has begun to fight for a high
lrift that would actually prohibit i'm
ortation of commodities for sale on
competitive basis in the United States :
Whether the ways and means com.
ittee will be able to compromise these
ferences and then. later, whether the
ouse will stand tied to the committee
'tion is a question which already is
wing considerable concern TO those
larged with dirpctinp tba I,,;,I,,;,,, |