Evening star., 1921-07-27
TAX, BEFORE TARIFF,
IS THE AGREEMENT
President Discusses Question
With Senators at White
House Dinner.

Virtual agreement was said today to
have been reached at dinner con-
ference at the White House last night
for Senate consideration or tax revi-
sion Legislation before the permanent
tariff act is taken up by that body. 4
number of senators were President
Harding's guests. and the Legislative
situation was said to have been dis
cussed extensively.
White House officials had nothing
to say about the conference today
and il was understood Mr.. Harding
himself had forbidden advance an
nouncement of his plan to consult his
former associates in the Senate. They
were said to have advised him that
the finance committee would not have
the House tariff bill ready for Senate
consideration short of five or six
weeks and it was on this showing by
consensus around the dinner table
that tax revision should be given
precedence was said to have been dis
closed.
Much Work on Tarin.
The President was told. it was said.
that the tariff bill would require work
ing over to hitherto unexpected extent
American valuation provisions in the bill
were discussed by the diners today and
there were reports that the President did
not favor the policy. but comment on
that phase was refused.
The railroad question and funding of
allied loans also We're talked over dur
ing the dinner. as well as summer recess
possibilities for Congress.
Hopes for Recess.
President Harding told his guests
he hoped both branches of Congress
could recess from the middle of Au-
gust to the latter part of September,
or the lst of October. but was repre-
sented as opposed to any recess of
either body until the. tax revision bill
has passed the House. and leaving
the Senate finance committee to work
out both tax and tariff measures
during the recess.
Senate leaders said today that all
proposals for a recess would be
abandoned until the tax bill came
from the House. probably within a
fortnight. and making an adjourn
ment of both bodies possible about
the middle of August.
Republican leaders said the Senate
program was for passage of the Kel-
logg substitute for the Norris agri-
cultural export financing bill. the
Willis Campbell anti-beer bill and the
Capper-Tincher bill for government
regulation of future trading on grain
exchanges before adjournment. The
allied debt refunding bill and the rail-
road funding measure. recommended
yesterday by the President. were said
to be slated for postponement.
Difficult to Pass.
Mr.. Harding was informed that both
of these bills would be difficult to
pass and take considerable time. and
it was understood that he agreed to
their deferment until after the recess
period.
About half of tho conference last night.
it was said. was devoted to discussion
of the allied debt refunding bill. on which
Secretary Mellon is to reappear tomor-
row before the Senate finance committee
Discussion of the congressional pro-
gram with House leaders also is p'anncd
by the President 1t was said he eX-
pected to have another dinner in the
near future. with House republicans as
his guests. to seek cooperation in the
program, informally outlined with the
senator's last night