The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-15
ELLIOTT SAYS
OIL PRODUCT
DUTY is BAD
Announces Opposition to Tar
iff on Those Commodities
Urges Asphalt Admitted
Free-Bossert Disapproves.
HARDING ALSO OPPOSES
PALLADIUM NEWS BUREAU

WASHINGTON, July 15.-The oil
schedule of the new tariff bill prom
ises to provoke real fight when it
comes up for consideration in the
house of representatives.
Representative R. N Elliott Of the
sixth Indiana district, has announced
his opposition to duty on petroleum
and crude oil, as proposed in the bill
He believes that these commodities
should be placed on the free list. He
also is. against any duty being i'm
posed on asphalt.
Judging from the communications
he has received from his district, he
has the support of his constituency in
his determination to oppose duty OH
crude oils and asphalt.
Mr.. Elliott has received a telegram
from Walter F. Bossert, of Liberty,
Ind, chairman of the sixth district Re-
publican organization, stating that the
people of that district were paricu-
larly opposed to duty on asphalt.
Civic organizations in Richmond
and other towns have expressed oppo-
sition to the levying of tariff duties
on crude oil and asphalt, so generally
used for road and street construction.
Harding Opposes.
That President Harding indicated
his opposition to any duty on crude
petroleum prior to the action of the
house ways and means committee has
become known. 1t was learned that
the president sent two letters to Chair
| man Fordney, of the committee, en-
phasizing the Importance of encourag-
ing the participation of American citi-
zens in the development of oil re-
sources abroad The president de-
clared that duty on crude petroleum
would be at variance with the pro-
gram for the safeguarding of the fu-
ture oil supply of the country.
Notwithstanding the presidents at
titude, the majority of the ways and
| means committee, few hours before
! the tariff bill was introduced in the
house, decided by vote of nine to
eight to impose duties on crude Pc
troleum and fuel OIL Previously the
committee had stood 10 to seven in
| favor of leaving them on the free list.
In fact, the first confidential draft saf
| the tariff bill to be distributed listed
these commodities on the free list.
Bill Provides Duty
| AS the bill went to the house it
lprovides a duty of 35 cents per. barrel
of AZ gallons on crude petroleum and
25 cents per barrel of AZ gallons on
! fuel oil
Refined petroleum and all distillates
obtained therefrom, including kero-
sene, benzine, naptha. gasoline, paraf-
fin and paraffin oil, remain on the
| free list
| Paragraph 207, schedule 2, provides
the following duties on asphalts:
Limestone rock asphalt, SO cents per
ton; asphaltum and bitumen. not es-
peciaily provided for, crude, if not
dried or otherwise advanced in con-
| dition in any manner, $3.50 per ton;
| if dried or otherwise advanced in con-
dition in any manner, 800 per ton.
Petroleum in the United States is 4
| wasting asset so far depleted as no
longer to afford secure foundation
| for the obligations based upon its as
sumed continued adequacy, according
to a report submitted to members of
congress by David White. of the
United Staes geological survey.
| Petroleum Waning
| Barring unexpected good fortune in
the search for new supplies. he says.
or even less unexpected curtailment
of consumption, the petroleum produc-
ton of the United States is likely not
only never again wholly to meet our
requirements, but even to start soon
on the long decline of waning out
put.
DR.. White states that the increase,
both present and prospective, in the
consumption demands for petroleum
/ in the United States is hardly less
! alarming than our growing depend
| ency on foreign petroleum supplies.
In recent years the United States
| has furnished very close to 66 per
cent of the worlds whole output of
| petroleum, but at the same time the
American oil industry has demanded
/ more petroleum than the country has
| produced. This demand amounted to
over 80 per cent of the worlds output
in 1919.
To the extent of nearly $4,000 bar
| rels the United States is already llv-
| ing beyond her petroleum income.