Evening star., 1922-08-20
FRAMING OF TARIFF ACT .
EXPENSIVE BIT OF WORK
Measure About to Be Enacted bv Con.
gress Estimated to Have Cost :
Close to $l,25O,OOO. )

OF printing some twenty-five volumes
comprising more than 10000 pages Of
testimony. In addition was the bind
ing; and before all came the cost of
stenographic reporting and trans
cribing. Then there was the printing
OF many thousands of pages Of
Tarin Commission surveys and re-
/, ports for the benefit of the two con-
gressional committees. Then there
was the cost of a special commission
or committee created to investigate
| the American cost of articles compar-
able with similar imported articles.
and the printing of its special and
exhaustive report.
Many experts were employed dur
ing the long hearings. and many of
the special reports of these experts
printed. Three special experts were
employed by the Senate committee to
advise and Investigate. Experts from
the customs departments in New
York and elsewhere were brought to
Washington by both sides when the
| controversy over American valuation
, was at its height. Experts and
scientific men in all branches Of
committees. bent upon injecting a
| scientific" bug into the tariff
Debate in the House consumed
! about five hundred pages of the Com
gressional Record. stenographicaliy
reported. Debate in the Senate con-
! sumed more than 1900 pages of the
Congressional Record, stenographi-
! cally reported. The bill itself. finally
| sent to conference. is a document of
| more than $50 pages. containing the
composite wisdom Of manufacturers.
producers. the farm bloc. importers.
| that have not yet found their way
into the dictionaries. percentages and
decfmals like so much Greek to the
average congressman, and proposed
| experiments to fit the times. -
Close to Million Mark. -
In addition to all this expense
estimated at not less than s7O0, ,o0e
there is the expense of every visiting
| delegation or representative agent
appearing before both committees for
or against a given proposition. Ap-
| proximately 1000 witnesses were
| heard in both House and Senate hear
ings. With each witness came an
average of two others. Their travel
ing, hotel and other expenses
amounted. it is estimated. to about
| $1,000
Finally. many associations and or
ganiZations maintain offices in WASH
ington. with from one to three repre-
sentatives or agents. It may be uu
fair to call them lobbyists, but they
answer to the call. Most of them
appeared before either House or
Senate committee or both. or worked
on the outside. This service cost. Il
is estimated, approximately s100.O0sf
Some of these organizations printed
and circulated large amounts Of
literature, designed to promote theb
interests on patriotic grounds. as
they viewed them.
Altogether. II is conservatively es
timated that thus far, the cost OF the
new tariff bill. now sent to CONFER
ence, is about a million and a quarter
dollars. In other words. that Is
about what has been spent out of
the public treasury and the private
! treasures of all parties and concerns
| interested, in one way or another. in
the preparation of a permanent tariff
bill. The expense began early in Jam
uary, 1921, and will not end until the
bill is out of conference and before
the President for signature. ,.