Evening star., 1922-06-21
URGES CONVERSION
COST TARIFF BASIS
FreIinghuysen Amendment
Would Enlarge Present
Commission.

MacnlneFy Tor the construction OF
what was described as q scientific
tariff based on the difference be-
tween conversion costs in this coun-
try and ABROAD would be set up under
an amendment to the pending tariff
bill proposed today by Senator Fre-
iinghuysen. republican, New Jersey,
who, as member Of the finance
committee. helped draft the present
measure.
Under the terms of the amend
ment. the Tariff Commission would
be enlarged to ten members and
would be required to recommend to
Congress not later than December !,
1923, and each six months thereafter.
rates of duty necessary to equalize
the differences in conversion costs
as disclosd by Investigations which
it would make.
The members of the commission
would be appointed by the President,
would hold office for life and would
receive salaries Of $4,000 each, the
same as cabinet officers Not more
than five of them could be of the
same political party and none Of
them could engage actively in any
private business. trade or profession.
Present Plan Illogical.
In prepared address explaining his
amendment. Senator Freling huysen
declared the present tariff making
system was both illogical and un-
scientific" Describing that system as
"a complication Of the statements of
n nj. f2 ct inn .ba, .s-
and farmers and of inconclusive data
collected. by government agencies in
adequately equipped" the senator said
awake to the abuses of this system
and to the necessity for reform"
And this awakening should be a
warning to all of US to take the tariff
out of politics" he continued 1T has
been said cynically that the tariff can
not be taken out of politics. 1t is
probable that the theory of what con-
stitutes proper tariff levies always
Will remain political question. just
as it has always been matter of
dispute between economists. But the
method of finding out the facts on
which to assess tariffs certainly is
not a political matter"
Asserting that in offering his amend
ment he was not apologizing for the
present tariff bill. Senator Freiing-
huysen declared that to his mind tina t
measure was as good az could he pre-
pared under the circumstances and
should be passed as quickly as possi-
BILE in order to remove from business
the uncertainty that now existed
WsHld Vitalize Commission.
The New Jersey senator argued tha
his amendment would "vitalize" the
tariff commission and would remove
its members from personal and party
pressure" by establishing d funda-
! mental principle for fixing rates. Also.
he said, ii would give the commission
the time, the money and the authority
to frame such bill as would afford
actual, not merely supposed, protec-
ton to American industry and Ameri
can labor"
Pointing out that the finance COM
mittee in framing the present bill
took 5000 pages Of testimony. Senator
Frelinghuysen declared no one could
; wade through this gigantic mass of
information without confusion or be
sure of his conclusion because of the
| technical nature of the subjects" He
| said opponents of the bill had obtain
! ed similar information from other
sources considered equally as reliable
| as those from which the committee
! obtained its information and that yet
| the facts relied upon by both sides
were so different that doubt was
! thrown upon the accuracy of all of
! them.
If Congress had ali the facts, not
mart of them, he added. such a condi-
| ton would not exist Attention also
| was called that a tariff rate as it is
! determined today often becomes at
best compromise; an attempt to
meet the varying demands of many
| sections and many opposing inter
! eStS.