The Mena weekly star., 1921-08-11
10 TAKE UP TAXES
 WITH PRESIDENT
Republicans Center on What Estimat- ed Expenses Can Be Provided Other Than by Direct Levy
 Cuts Are Agreed Upon.

Washington, August 9.-Chairman Fordney and other Republican mem bers of the House Ways and Means committee were to confer with Presi- dent Harding late today on the gen eral subject of tax revision. Discus sion, it is understood, was to center particularly upon what present esti- mated extraordinary expenses can be provided for thru other means than direct taxation.
 Senators in Party.
 Secretary Mellon, Speaker Gillett, Chairman of the House and Senate Ap- E propriation Committees, and proba- bly, some other Republican leaders planned to participate in the White House conference.
 Mir. Fordney hopes that it will be possible to take care. of about three uuarters of billion dollars of such expenses without provisions in the new revenue law, thus saving, he said, ap- proximately $8 in taxes for every man, woman and child in the country this year. He is understood to be particularly anxious that some way will be worked out to take care of the proposed $454,000,000 payments to the railroads, S100,000,000 to the Shipping board and $100,000,000 for redeeming war savings certificates which fall due the last half of this fiscal year.
 Agree on Big Cuts.
 When today's session began Repub- lican members of the House Commit tee had agreed to the elimination of the soda fountain, ice cream and so- called luxury taxes on wearing appar- ell. and a 50 per cent cut in every levy on sporting goods. Committeeman were understood to, be determined to make further reductions in the total tax the American people will be called upon to pay this fiscal year.
 A 5O. per cent cut in the transpor- tation levies, both passenger and I freight, was declared to be practically d certainty. Those members who heretofore have urged immediate re- peal of all these taxes were under Stood to be prepared to press their point with the argument that tnls z could be done readily if repeal of the excess profits and higher surtaxes IS < delayed until next January l, as now proposed.
 Would Help Business.
 The total loss of revenue involved in cutting off the transportation taxes was estimated at $260, ,000,0 ,000, or less, if was claimed, than the loss that would be entailed this year thru mak- < inc the repeal of the excess profits and higher income surtaxes retroact- i've to last January 1. It also was argued that the cutting off of the levies on freight and passenger. traf- fic would prove of real help to busl- ness thru savings iii freight charges and added expenses of travelling salesmen.
 Formal agreement among the ma jority members as to the total that will be absolutely necessary to run the government this fiscal year has not yet been reached and it was said that further specific tax cuts might await such an agreement. There also was talk of conferences with Presl- dent Harding to obtain advice m the solution of the major problems before the committee.
 Democrats Study Moves.
 Having been excluded from partl- cipating in the framing of the bill, E Democratic members or the colhiiI1Iee are giving independent study to the re- vision question. Representative kltch- en, the Democratic leader, who IS de- tained at his home in North Carolina by illness, has been kept fully in- formed on the public hearings and 1t is understood that his counsel will be sought in framing any report that the Democrats may decide to make after they have studied the Republican draft of the measure.
 Representative Garner of Texas, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means committee in the absence \ of Mir. Kitchin, came out f1atly today for full repeal of the transportation ! taxes and the so-called nuisance taxes, including the 10 per cent tax on bottled soft drinks, and against any of the new or increased taxes sug- "A <rnotrJ hy Carrofuru MaIl0p.