The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1922-10-23
Our Flexible Tariff.
New York Post. J

York PoSt.)
= President Harding is well advised IN s'ies',io
A., ",asic provisions" of the tariff bill that he mas
eiened Those provisions eare the only ueieNN
feature of the measure. and they are ueie"siol
chiefly because the bill is otherwise SO pad that any
thing that promises mitigation OF us hormi'ie
~ .o no valcomed They are capable of being used
70 raise rates no than to lower rates-lhoeeo'
lno article may be transferred from the ouIapie
TO the free list in any case Whatever "ha' u
10 made of them depends entirely upon the men whose
oavioo tho President chooses follow in applying
I Them He can act only after report by the larin
Commission he is not bound to accept LIS nii"
ifnps nor is it certain that those findings Will aiwaSS
Ihe unanimous This feature of the bill is frankly
lon evneriment and its working will be closely
watched by importers and economists alike mat
advantage will promptly be taken OF II IS lhoic''eu
by reports that large number OF applications are
IN preparation for in the duties on dyes
TOYS and cutlery The result of the lrst such app-
cations will be awaited with keen interest
The elastic provisions of the tariff did not
prevent the usual rush to import large quantities
lcf dutiable goods before the law went into effect
Consequently we might have curious phenomenon
lof temporary lowering of prices upon rev ar
ttcles following the passage of a high tarif law
But no one that this condition, If it comes
about will last long The prime purpose OF the
Fordney McCumber bill was TO enable producers to
hold up prices and those who drafted its schedules
are thoroughly experienced in tarln making 70
be guilty of any important error in favor OF the
consumer. An incidental effect of the arrangements
lcrease in the personnel of the Tariff Commission
AS this fact not taken into account in the de-
fcency bill just passed. appropriation will have
to be by either the extra the regular session
lof Congress.
Under the most favorable circumstances there
twill be considerably delay applying the fexibility
sections of the law An application to the Tariff
Commission for decrease in duties will be taken up
by the commission and reported to the PreS-
dent after careful investigation The President will
decide whether change in duties shall be ordered.
tEy the time that all this procedure has been gone
through the situation may have altered to such an
extent that application is awaiting attention.
Npyer heless the provisions for elasticity at
tempt scientific tariff, a much more promising
attempt than the maximum and mnimu arrange
nient of the Payne-Adrich bill, which but for Pres
dent Taft's enlightened Interpretation would have
meant maximum duties all around. Moreover, by
throwing additional burden upon the Tariff Com
mission this feature of the law enhances the mpor
tance OF the commission and by much looks in
the right direction.
The best that be said for the tariff is
that it makes effort to provide remedy for the
ills that 1t proposes to infct. But the only genuine
remedy for those ills is of poison for the bill
Sooner later the country will that dose
is administered. Meanwhile pay.