Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-21
FRE[|NCHUYSEN
HAS TARIFF PLAN
Is Against Present System of
Both the Republicans and
Democrats

WASHINGTON, June Ex-senator
Joseph S. Frelinghuysen of New
Jersey. a member Of the Senate FL
nance Committee. today opposed the
present tariff making system of both
Republicans and Democrats. as ell
logical and u~nscientiflc," and offered
an amendment providing machin-
cry for a scientific tariff based on
the differences between conversion
costs in this country and abroad.
Under the terms of the amend
ment, the tariff commission would
be enlarged to ten members, with
tenures Of ONCE. Not later than
December 1, 1928, the commission is
ordered to report to congress the re-
suits Of Investigations into CONVEX
sion cost differences, and to recon-
mend the rates of duty necessary.
The amendment provides a fund of
81. 900, 900 to carry out the extend
ed duties of the commission.
Senator Frelinghuysen's address
urging the amendment and assailing
present system of tariff making
follows:
THE tariff bill now under consid-
Grafton II not a scientific measure. /
say this although / did my share
as a member Of the finance commits
tee in framing It, I hold that 1t is
not scientific because of the system
on which Ii based. This system ie
not the product Of either the Repub-
lican or Democratic parties. 1t is
the outcome Of past conditions when
a scientific finding of facts was not
regarded as an essential In tariff
making. My purpose is by an
amendment to the pending Measure
to remedy the defects Of that sys-
tenn, and attempt to set up machin-
cry looking to the enactment in the
future Of scientific tariff schedules.
primarily tariff making affects
trade and commerce. 1t is there
fore q matter of economics, not Of
politics. The determination of rates
is properly a subject for expert
study and consideration. 1t ought
to be in the hands of a SUFFICIENT
body Of men equipped to give it
specialized study, and having the
authority to make exhaustive inves-
tigation and report to this congress
scientific conclusions. The amend
ment which I propose would vitalize
the tariff commission and extend Its
powers. 1t would remove the men,
bers of. the commission from per-
sonal and party pressure by estab-
shing q fundamental principle for
fixing rates, and 1t would give them
the time, the money and the author
ity to frame such a bill as would
afford actual. not merely supposed
protection to American industry and
American labor.
1.-The public mind is now thor
oughly awake to the abuses of this
system of tariff making and to the
necessity for reform, and this awak-
ening should be a warning to all OF
as to take the tariff out OF politics
~ providing legislation setting up
the machinery for a scientific sys-
tenn of levying tariff duties, for
which purpose this amendment Is
offered.
In offering this amendment I I'M
not apologizing for the present
tariff measure that we are consider
ing. and which I assisted In draft
ing. To my mind it Is as good a
measure as could be prepared under
the circumstances, and 1t should be
passed as quickly as possible In or
der to remove from business the un-
certainty that now exists.
But neither this tariff measure
nor any tariff measure that has ever
been passed or ever will be passed
can be adequate to the needs of the
country so long as we continue our
present system Of preparing tariff
measures. This applies equally to
Republicans and Democrats n we
all know 1t. Whether the tariff to
be written is one for only
or for protection. the facts on whicn
the duties are levied are the same.
And what 10 that system. 1t Is a
compilation of the statements of
manufacturers, importers, mer-
chants and farmers and of incon-
elusive data collected by government
agencies inadequately equipped
either with SUFFICIENT funds or pro-
per authority.
In other words our tariffs Of the
past have been the result OF approx
imation and by reason of h fact
that the rates have been fixed by
Therefore any rate improperly fixed
has not been subject to change or
revision because no government
agency has the power to revise by
a iendment. Any injustice caused
by too high or too low a rate must.
necessarily, rest imposed on Indus
try until a new tariff bill is written.
So long as it was not an impor-
tant matter how we determined the
basis of value of which to fix tariffs,
so long as we fixed them high
enough to protect infant industries,
this system worked very well. But
hat day has passed. We have en-
tered now in an era of intense in
ternational industrial competition in
which it is essential for us to pro-
tect our labor and capital in
vestment against the lower costs of
production and conversion abroad.
This protection must be honest and
fair in dts effect and the basis on
which it Is arrived at should be
scientific and free from party or
business bias.