The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-30
TARIFF REVISION
TO HAVE STORMY
time IN CONGRESS
Wrangle Over Schedules
May Be Prolonged to
Late Spring.
NJ ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.

MS " the SENATE &Ans
mittee on November /, Congress VIII
settle down for an all-winter grind
on the revision Of customs laws.
Although February has been
nxsd as the date to which the emer-
gency tariff expiring November "
will be extended. no one seems to
believe that Congress will COM
plete the enactment Of permanent
tariff legislation by that date. The
date, February 1. was selected ad-
mittsdly with . view to speeding
up the PROGRESS OF the permanent
bill. When that date arrives Con.
gress undoubtedly will pass Dill
again extending the time OF the
emergency tariff again.
As matters now stand. the per-
manent tariff bill 10 not likely to
reach the statute books before
March or April. or possibly May OF
June. Undoubtedly IL VIII be enact
ed into law at some time during the
coming regular session OF Congress
The leaders have made tentative
plans 10 end the session not latel
than June 1.
Valuation Plan Il snag.
The radical departure determined
upon In the American valuation plar
which contemplates abandonment o.
the policy of assessing import du'
ties on the foreign invoice value
followed by the United States prac'
tically all the time for more than 9
century, has been the primary cause
Of the slow progress made in revls'
ing the tariff law. Contributing
factors have been, Of course. the
difficulty Of determining rates Of
duty satisfactorily. In view of cha
otto world conditions. and also the
fact that the Ways and Means Com.
mittee in the House and Finance
Committee in the Senate. which
which have charge of tariff legisla'
ton, also have been engaged in re.
vision of tax laws.
The American valuation plan Il
becoming more and more the storm.
center of pending tariff legislation
Strangely enough, the agitation
against the plan. which was started
originally by New York importer,
and has gradually spread over tn,
county,, with commercial organiza.
tions and business men OF variou,
classes joining in 1t. has failed tc
make much Of an impression upor
the Republican membership OF
either the House or Senate. Ths
Democrats naturally have not failed
to take advantage of this issue. The
tariff. however. is SO much a part,
question that opposition by the
Democrats does not assume the sig.
nificance II might have II there
were any likelihood that party line.
would be ignored in the final vote
c. o. p. Stands Pat.
Although many Republican mem.
bers Of the House strongly objected
to some OF the duties in the bill a.
reported from the Ways and Mean,
Committee. not a voice was raised
from the Republican side in oppo.
sition to the American valuation
plan. Republican members of the
Senate Committee already have
gone so far as to definitely approx,
the American valuation plan. a sub.
stitute provision having beer
framed In place Of the section OF
the House bill covering this subject
The substitute plan also has beer
concurred In by Republican mem.
bers of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, so that Republican majori.
ties in both committees are so far
committed to the principle tina,
there seems no likelihood of IT.
abandonment.
In the case of schedule /, the
committee attempted to reach a de-
cision on the question Of an EN-.
barge on imports OF tdyes. The
PROPOSED provision for control Of
imports Of dyes. which was ap.
proved by the House Ways anc
Means Committee, was stricken ou'
on the floor Of the House through
combination of a minority of Re
publicans and the Democrats. Will,
the Republican members of tn,
Finance Committee have not an
nounced a definite decision on tn,
matter they have indicated opposi
ton to an embargo and have as
signed q subcommittee headed b,
Senator Smoot of Utah to act IL
cooperation with q subcommittee,
OF the House Ways and Means
Commute In working out some sor
OF scheme to take care of tn,
situation.
Faners Not Satisfied.
The committee in its hearing
only scratched the surface Of tn,
agricultural schedule and will be
gin on that schedule when hear
ings are resumed next week. Tn,
plan as worked out in conjunction
with the agricultural bloc of tn,
Senate Is to start with the live
stock sections of the agriculture
schedule. All the agricultural or
CARNATIONS are to have represen
tatives on hand and extensive con
sideratfon will be given.
During the former hearings tn,
committees passed over schedule
5, applying to sugar. and schedul,
s, relating to tobacco. The CubaI
sugar interest have been conduct
ing a strong campaign against tn
H..