Evening star., 1921-07-10

naQ.
Chairman Fordney denied that he
had planned prohibittve tariff.
Says Bill Has Joker.
But don't forget that you put
American valuation provisions in this
BILL" shouted Mr.. Garner, land that
means higher duty than the rates
show. There's the joker and that's
why say this bill carries rates high
er than any other in history"
Discussing the wool schedule, the
Texas member declared that it was
written for the manufacturers. and
not the growers
Mr.. Garner predicted that the Ford
ney bill would not become a law
this year, declaring Senate leaders
appeared to want to revise the tax
laws ahead of the tariff. and that
he believed the tariff bill would be
pigeonholed in the Senate.
Turning again to the effect Of the
bill, Mr.. Garner warned of what he
described as an inevitable increase
in the cost of living. He asserted
that it would disturb the economics
of the nation more even than free
trade, and prophesied that the same
men now so stoutly urging its pas
sage would hasten to displace the
rates they had imposed with others
that would make for world trade, and
not domestic trade business alone.
Representative Bacharach. New Jer-
sey, republican member of the ways
and means committee. who wrote the
silk schedule. said many silk manu-
facturers had complained that the
rates were not high enough.
Defends U. s. Valuation.
Defending the American valuation
provision. Mr.. Bacharach said the
only complaints against it came from
importers. He estimated that the
foreign valuation. on which duties
now are imposed. was about so per
cent lower than the American valua-
tion.
With the principal speeches for and
against the bill out of the way. the
debate was turneo over to members
generally. and started with rush
under an agreement calling Tor a
solid week of talk.
The name of Secretary Mellon was
brought into the discussion by Repre-
sentative Oldfield Of Arkansas, DEM
ocratic member of the ways and
means committee, who described the
"beneficiaries" of the high tariff. He
said that "the MELONS of Pittsburgh
control the aluminium industry Of the
United States, and called attention TO
the increase in duty to cents pound
on aluminium.
"Of course" he added. II am not
blaming Secretary Mellon. He did not
write this bill. had nothing to do with
1t, but his group paid II per cent
dividend on twenty millions of capital
last year and l want to know why 1t
is necessary to give them more
Kitchen Stewpan Cited.
Representative Green sought to ex-
plain that the five-cent duty 'meaEs
nothing" to the consumer. He illus
trated his statement with the cost OF
the old kitchen stewpan. saying that
less than half a pound of aluminium
was used in its manufacture, but AIR.
Oldfield asserted that. whether the
amount was great or small. the con-
sumer was being taxed for the benefit
of the manufacturer.
The first mention Of the oil schedule
~as made by Representative Gold
borough, democrat. Maryland. who
characterized the duty as "a part of
a scheme to aid men who are exploit
ing the natural resources Of the coun-
try to extinction" He said these men
also were flooding the country with
issues of securities and stock on which
later they would seek to pay dividends
through such oil protection as is pro-
posed in the Fordney bill.
Representative Mondell, the re-
publican floor leader. spoke briefly
near the close of the day. paying
tribute to the republican members OF
the ways and means committee for
the work they had done in drafting
the bill. He declared that. notwith-
standing the many handicaps under
which the bill was framed, this bill
has met with a more favorable re-
sponse from the country than any
like measure presented in genera.
tion," and added that this approval
will. in my opinion, grow
rather than diminish as the provisions
are examined and analysed"