The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-08-23


"That is u very strange situation
to my mind" nemarked the sena-
tor from the Old, North state, AMI
proceeded to point out why he re-
garded it as unusual.
Then Senator Dillingham; went
still further into the explanation
in the hope Of fully enlightening
his colleague. "The matter arose
something in this way, he said.
az received letter from the Com
missioner Of Agriculture of the
State of Vermont telling me that
a certain dairy company was I'M
porting milk from Canada whlcn
tested just under IS per cent but
ter tat. lie then said Quoting
from Commissioner Bigham's let
tCr:)
az am informed that at the
outset customs Officials ruled that
this was cream and duty must be
paid accordingly. However, the
Treasury Department after inVes-
LEGATION made the ruling that any
thing under IL per cent butter fat
was not cream and therefore could
be entered as milk. If this is not
Iremedied in the pending tariff
measure, so that milk will be
defined so as to exclude this prac-
tice, the following result will b.
possible. An importer may import
a gallon of II per cent milk pay
ing a duty on this as milk of 2i2
cents. This milk will contain 1,3
pounds of butter fat, which will
make about IT, pounds Of butter.
Therefore the importer will pay
I1.6 cents duty per pound Of but
ter imported IN this kind of milk,
while if the butter was manufac-
turcd in Canada, he would be sub
iccted to q duty of 8 cents. This
III per cent milk" could be resep-
arated upon arrival in this coun-
try and concentrated to "a per
cent cream, With the result that y
gallon of "a per cent cream could
be landed here with a duty of ;
cents in this way, while imported
IT. the form If cream it would be
subjected to duty of 22l2 cents.
II seems to me that your tariff bill
should define mill; in some way to
prevent this ptact;ce.'
"The matter was submitted to
the Tariff Commission and the
amendment was the recommends
ton which they made"
Mr.. Simmons-"Is not this pa
tent to the Senator's mind? We
will assume. rs | suppose is true,
that all good nice, fresh milk con-
tains 7 per cent Of butter fat. If
because of the fact that milk
has 7 per cent of butter fat in t
il has to be taxed as cream, al
though we have not SKINNED the
cream off Of it, whv put any duty
on fresh milk at all, and why put
a duty on sour milk at all? Why
not say that al good milk has |
per cent of butter fat in it and tax
it as butter. u that il has so much
cream in it and tax it as cream?
That is what it would amount 10,
ia effect, whore the provision is
invoked. OF course, ! understand
a great deal of fresh milk would
come in and nobody would make
this point, but wherever the point
was made if the milk is good. in
stood Of fresh milk taking duty
of 212 cents d gallon as provided
i. would take duty of 22l2 cents
q rallon.--"
M. Dillingharl-Tt was sug-
costed at some time DUNG the con-
sideration of the matter that var
ious degrees should be considered
but that would require much to be
done in all kinds of weather at
every little port on the Canadian
border and it was utterly imDrac-
ticable as a matter of administra-
ton"
Upon the taking of the roll call
it was found that 80 senators had
sustained the committee in its
amendment and that 18 had oppos-
ed it. All of the republicans pres
ent voted for the amendment and
all the democrats voted AGAINST it..
Apropos Of dairving in the Green
Mountain State it is pertinent to
note that according to the latest
census. as indica-ed in a recent
bulletin of the Census Bureau,
Vermont had the highest agricul-
tual percentage of any New Eng
land state. The enumerators cred
tied Vermont win a total farm
ronulation of 125.262, which was
thirtv-five and o.e-half per cent
Of the states en,irN ncnulation.
New Hampshire, with 7G,02t, ran
only 17.2 per CEN; Maine showed
PSF per cent as represented by
197G01 ao1icultu lists. The south
crn half Of the New ENGLAND di-
vision had very few farmer in pro-
portion to its total population. the
percentages being: Connecticut,
.G.9. Massachusetts,, 81; Rhode Is
land, %.
Commissioners General Of Immi-
grafton Walter Husband is back
after two weeks absence from
Washington, in the course of
which he paid visits to several of
the northern Immigration stations
including Portland, Me, and nut
in week or rest and relaxation
erecting old friends in St. Johns
bury ard some other points back
home.
CONGRESSMAN Frank L. Greene
come back to Washington Sunday
after several weeGs spent in Yer
mont. As a member of the House
steering committee the Vermonter
viii have much TO do with fnr1nu-
latino the plan 70 be followed dur
ing the remainder Of the nresent