The Washington times., 1922-04-10
CHARGE DELAY
IN TARIFF BILL
TOOBTA|NVOTEs
Senate Committee Expected to
Report Soon Under Busi-
ness Demand.

Complying with an insistent de-
mand from business, big and lit
tie, the Senate Finance Committee
will report a permanent tariff bill
to the Senate In few days.
Business men have flooded Con-
gress with appeals for quick ac-
ton on the measure, so that they
may know as soon as possible
the nature of the schedules the
Senate proposes. Until they are
out of the dark in this respect,
they contend. business cannot 20
full speed ahead,
Want Action Now.
While there is disposition on the
part Of some leaders to defer final
action until the next session OF Con-
gress, that attitude will not pre-.
vent the tariff being brought up ana
made the subject OF heated discus
sion. There Is a strong element also
that desires final passage OF tho Dill
before the opening of the next SEES
sion in December, after the con-
gressional elections.
The Senate bill undoubtedly viii
be the one that will finally be en-
acted into law. Minor changes prob
ably will be made by the House
when 1t goes to that body. but the
general scale of rates and the ad-
nlinistrative features, II Is generally
understood at the Capitol. will re.
main substantially as they are in the
Senate Finance Committee measure.
WIN Have Time to Study.
Republican party feeders believe
that the program OF delay will not
be strongly opposed by business.
While the congressional campaign Is
being waged, business will be ex-
peoted to study the new bill care
fully, 90 that when 1t comes TO N
vote next December, there should
be- little additional delay in whipping
It into acceptable shape.
Should the measure be thrown
into the Senate for immediate con-
sideration, however, between three
and four months would be required
to debate It. Amendments would
be offered that would not be
acceptable to party leaders or tc
business, and little time would be
saved. Republican leaders In Con-
gress are making this explanation
OF the plan for delaying serious
consideration until the opening
weeks of next session.
Charge Plot TO Delay.
Democratic leaders in the Senate
and House, who have been desirous
of having the tariff law enacted
before the November elections In
the expectation that II would dis-
turb business conditions, are charg-
ing that the majority party leaders
have followed a consistent program
OF delsy. The measure was passed
by the House during the special
session of Congress last summer,
after five months of consideration
there.
The Senate Finance Committee
promised its final passage by oo-
tober ] of last year. Later this
was changed to early in December,
then to January, and since then one
DELAY after another has occurred.
Members of the Finance Com
mittee, however, contend that the
whole measure had to be rewritten
by them. The House bill, they
claim, was SO badly drawn that IT
would have wrecked business and
the Republican party. The new
measure, they assert, will justify
the wait for it
The tariff bill levies approx
mately 100 900 specific rates that
apply to more than 00,000 different
articles of commerce. Each of
these rates has been changed from
those in the House bill.
The American valuation plan as
written by the House Ways and
Means Committee and approved by
the House, also has been changed.
| The new plan is a compromise be.
tween the House scheme and the old
system Of foreign valuations.
Rates Written Two Ways.
The rates in the new Senate FL
nance Committee bill have been
written two ways, so there will be
no delay whether the American val
uation plan, the foreign valuation
system, or a combination OF the two
| il approved. Each rate has been
| figured on the basis of the American
wholesale selling price of each ar
ticle, and thereon the basis of the
foreign purchasable price.
The principal fight over the bill
will come on the valuation plan
House leaders have informed the
Senate that the House will insist
upon some form of the American
plan, and Senate leaders are endeav
oring to reach some sort of a com
promise that will remove the objec
tions that have been raised against
the House proposition.