The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-08
S|DETRACK TARIFF
 FORD|SCUSS|ONOF
 PRICE GUT EFFORT
Pointed Exchanges Take Place When Witness Charges Gov ernment With Encourag-
 ing Buyers Strike
By !Associntcd Presn

W aShlngton January I.- Consideration of the Fordney emergency tariff bill was sidetracked for a time today by the Sem ate finance committee while it's members defend efforts of the government to force down lvlng costs. The departure from the programme came when wit ness charged the government with respon- sibility for economic conditions confront ing the country through encouragement Of a buyers strike. For an hour decorum was cast off and pointed exchanges took place,
 Notwithstanding warnings by Acting Chairman McCumber and Senator Shoot, republican. Utah, that the committee must nhtain speedy action eH the bill to prevent further losses for the farm CTS. Senators Thomas of Colorado and Jones of New Mexico, democrats, in- dulged in spirited argument with Col. John P, Wood of Philadelphia, who ap- peared in behalf of the woo manufac- turers
 Colonel Woods assertion that the gov ernment and particularly the department of justice had been unwise In conduct-
 ing war on high prices, met with re- joinder from Senator Thomas that the
 present condition was the result of one man being willing to sec another man
 lose money but unwilling to lose any himself. " He replied to the Calder commission Investigating housing and to the Senate itself. & a4 ~ MT. Wood replied that he was unfa- milar with tho Calder commssion's 8 work, but he knew the accusations of senators many times had materially al fected prices.
 OBJECTS TO METHODS My objections" continued the witness. ssa al methods used by the government, and particularly by Attorney General Palmer. Mir Pal mer and his staff instead of seeking out and prosecuting specific cases Of profiteering. have dealt in generalities.' Senator Thomas declared that MT. Pal mer's course was the only way to un- cover specific cases. and added that busi- ness should have purged it's own ranks. He expressed the belief that the con sumer had some rights after all. and that the government had functioned in the interests of vast majority Of the l people when it sought to bring down l the price of commodities.
 To this the reply was made that the
 war planted resentment against the high prices. and said that the government l can. paign "had been successful to the 1 point that all prices have gone down, and to the extent that hundreds of thou sands of men have been thrown out or work''
 1 The committee also heard George D. Briggs. representing the National Sheep
 and Wool bureau; Representative Walsh, republican. Massachusetts,; John Aster- ] gren 6f Portsmouth Va. representing vegetable oil products and L. Lawrence 1 Groner of Norfolk, Va, representing pea nut producers
 ASK FOR CORRECTION 1 MT. Astersren, as well as MT. Groner' supported the bill, but requested the com
 mttee to correct the proposed methods
 of assessing tariff on vegetable oil, The | bill fixes the rate on a per gaiien pasls, while MT Astergren sought to nave IL
 levied on tine unit of a pound.
 | Representative Walsh appeared Tor
 manufacturers using Egyptian long staple cotton, on which the bih levies duty | of cents a pound. with compensatory duty on manufacturers of the product. | He protested that the duty had been sought by none of the industrial concerns,
 and that it's inclusion was absolutely un-
 necessary.
 '"There is no immediate need for these proyisons' he said. They can well
 await consideration as a part of the
 general tariff revision. My people rear l that to put a duty on these commodities
 would only upset their trade which IS | just now beginning to revive. Both items Continued on Page Three)