Evening star., 1922-07-07
PRESIDENT BENT
. ON ELASTIC TARIFF
Will Insist That Congress En-
large Powers of Proposed
Commission.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

freSluent Harding wants the powers
of the Tariff Commission enlarged, and
ne will insist upon provision to that
effect in the pending tariff bill.
Senator McCumber, chairman of the
finance committee of the Senate, has
just announced on the floor of the
Senate that many of the changes
made in the bill since it's Introduction
have been occasioned by changing
conditions from day to day. Mr. Hard
ing is among those who believe that
II conditions change while the bill is
under consideration they will change
when 1t is a law and some permanent
machinery for alteration must be
provided, because the Senate finance
committee cannot stay in continu-
Gus session to do the job when once
the measure is law.
The President is prepared to make
an earnest appeal for the transfer of
this problem to the hands of the
Tariff Commission. This body al pres
ent has only powers of inquiry and
study. For generations it has been
argued that the tariff could be taken
out Of politics if the subject could be
handled by tariff commission.
Opportunity Rare One.
The President has the greatest op-
portunity an American President has
ever had to overcome the traditional
objections in Congress to the giving
up by Congress of the task of making
tariff bills. Heretofore the power has
been jealously guarded because of
hot hn
for-revenue principles would be aban-
doneG according as the tariff commits
sion was composed of those who lean
ed toward the democratic or republi-
can view of tariff making. Within
the last few days the republican ma
tional committee has taken a fling at
the movement for 'non-p partisan tar
could be no such thing. as one or the
other Of the two principles must pre-
vail
Mr.. Harding is protectionist. He
Qutets the fears of those who would
hesitate to give the full power to a
tariff commission by urging that the
commission should merely recommend
that the chief executive should have
the power to proclaim the tariff duties
as conditions change.
This correspondent has been assur-
ed that Mr.. Harding stands today on
the recomme endation he made in his
December address to Congress, in
which he said:
Need Of Elasticity.
IT hope a way will be found to
make for f1exibility and elasticity, so
that rates may be adjusted to meet
unusual and changing conditions
which cannot be accurately antici-
pated. These are problems incident
to unfair practices and to exchanges,
which madness in money have made
almost insolvable. l know of no
manner in which to effect this fexi-
bility other than the extension of
the powers of the tariff commission,
SO that it can adapt itself to scien-
of the law.
II am not unmindful of the con-
difficulties. These can be
met by giving authority to the chief
who could proclaim addi-
tional duties to meet conditions
The grant of authority to proclaim
would necessarily bring the tariff
into new and enlarged
because no executive could
discharge such a duty except upon
the information acquired and recon-
H.
But the plan is feasible and the
proper functioning of the board
would give US a better administra-
tion of a defined policy than ever
can be made possible by tariff duties
prescribed without fexibility."
Protectionist Policy Meant.
By the phrase administration of
defined policy" the President means in
his own case a protectionist policy.
The evils of a tariff law are not usual
ly Of principle. but the application of
a principle. 1t is more often a ques-
tion Of whether the protection is for
the manufacturer or the consumer and
whether the protection, If it is for the
is sufficient to keep out
foreign competition without raising
the price too high for the American
consumer. AS costs of production and
labor conditions fluctuate, the statistics
on which Congress levies it's duties
also change. Mr.. Harding wants the
protectionist policy applied honestly.
furnish the data, and the
chief executive could thus change the
duties from time to time to conform
to the fiuctuation in economic condi-
tions throughout the country.
vote for the pending tariff bill will do
so with a lukewarm feeling They
know the bill will cause dissatisfac-
tion later ON. They would welcome,
some corrective machinery
which would in itself constitute an
assurance against the bad working of
the pending measure. Congress would
always be able to revoke the power
given the executive If it were abused.
Copyright 1927
nVICTITIn nCNTT1Uyr