Evening star., 1922-09-10
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
y WO outstanding functions Of
Congress are: To decide what
expenses Uncle Sam shall in


IN WO outstanding functions Of
Congress are: To decide what
expenses Uncle Sam shall in
cur and to determine how the
money shall be raised to meet these
obligations-in other words, appro-
priations and revenue legislation.
Now, in obedience to an insistent
demand for an efficient-economy,
scientific method of making appro-
priations the federal government has
adopted a budget system. which has
facilitated the work of appropriating
!, committees in Congress and led to
their consolidation. There is now a
business world and backed by the
just now uch-in- he-limelight "agri-
cultural bloc" for similar scientific
tariff legislation.
Scientific Tariff Demanded.
The country as a whole is demand
ing a scientific tariff, through the
levying Of duties on finding of facts
ascertained by experts-instead of
strictly political system of tariff
tinkering One editorial criticism of
the present system is that: For
hundred years it has been crazy
quilt patchwork of doing and undoing
and redoing something to the Amer
lean prerogative of trading with the
world when and how 1t seems good to
Americans to do"
The American business world has
for nearly two years now been kept
on the anxious seat regarding the
forthcoming tarifr-and has grown
disgustedly impatient at the delay.
Remember it was in December, 1920,
that work began on the tariff bill
which is still in conference, and likely
to remain there for some time yet
Hearings were started before the
House ways and means committee on
January 6, 1921. The House passed
the bill July 81. 1921, and it has been
tied up In the Senate ever since. 1t
was passed by the Senate August 10,
1922-or thirteen months under dis
cussion. That was twice as long as
any tariff bill ever took before. The
Underwood bill occupied from April
to October for the entire creation and
passage of that legislation-and then
it was unduly protracted.
Commisslon Favored.
The real leaders in Congress are
looking toward a shifting of the
preliminary. fact-hnding work on the
! tariff from ways and means finance
committees. respectively, of the House
and Senate to a reorganiZed and
| really functioning tariff commission,
! in just about the same way that the
preliminary work on the appropria-
tion bills is handled for the appro-
priations committees by the budget
bureau. In fact, the Senate bill now
in conference carries a committee
! amendment, based on a recommenda-
tion made by President Harding for
so-called flexible" or elastic
| tariff-in sections 315. 316, 317 and
31S Of Title Ill This is a real start
toward q scientific tariff system, busi-
ness economists feel.
Now. Of course, the cost Of wars
and the aftermath of wars and sub
| stantive legislation have already
fixed for the budget bureau the big
gest bulk of the nations annual OBJ
| legations. Conversely, the biggest
part of the revenue raising job is
entirely outside the tariff. Because
while the annual cost of government
| has grown to be about four billion
dollars the customs receipts are not
estimated at more than $780, 100000
to $4oo.o0o,ooo.
Not to Take Congress Power.
! Tho purpose is not in any sense to
! take the ratemaling authority away
from Congress. 1t is proposed to
clothe the United States tariff COM
| mission with sufficient authority to
| study conditions under existing tariff
i law and report upon the competitive
conditions in American industry with
\ respect to the relationship between
the domestic and foreign branches
! of the industry and to state what
rates would be needed to equalize
those conditions. Then Congress
would have before it a, basis for any
or tariff for revenue only" or for
a protective tariff" simply. The same
precise report could be made to
either a democratic or a republican
Congress. 1t becomes a neutral re-
port, a basis of fact on which either
part could work out its pet theory OF
| tariff making.
| Then Congress, knowing the rate
required to equalize competitive condi-
tions exactly. could raise them a little
for protection or lower them for revenue
etc. Take two extremes by way of H.
lustration: Production of wooden cloth
| ing is a very live industry in this coun-
try, with keen competition. To say what
rate would be required to equalize the
domestic and foreign branches might
range from 10 to so per cent. But On
the other extreme-coffee is not pro-
duced in this country and to fix a rate
| of a million per cent would not raise
I